How to Deal with Tricksters
by EndlessLabyrinth
Summary: Jackson Overland had a life before that fateful day on the ice. A life filled with all the emotions and adventures of your typical teenaged, colonial trickster. Drabbles of Jack's human life. Warning: OCs
1. Jack get down from there!

**Like the summary says, just a quick extension of Jack's memories. This time, the shots of him hanging upside-down from that old oak tree. I invented a character to tell Jack off instead of his sister because I like the idea that Jack's sister looks up to him as a hero who can do no wrong. So yeah, thanks for checking out. Enjoy!**

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"Jackson Overland, you get down from there this instant!"

"Who's gonna make me?"

Sofia Milton couldn't believe what she was seeing. Jack Overland, Burgess's well-known, dashing, yet conniving trickster currently dangled upside-down from the second tallest branch on an old oak near the town square. His crossed arms and wore a sly smile on his face that encouraged the laughter from the surrounding children. It, however, only served to flare Sofia's annoyance further. Who did this boy think he is? Did he realize what example he was setting for these children? What if he falls? If he falls, she would have to have to be the one to drag his skinny arse back to the village and explain it all. No way on earth would she get herself caught in this mess.

Sofia put one hand on her hip and pointed her other hand towards Jack, "_I_ am going to make you, Jack. You're going to get yourself killed swinging around like that. Like a blasted monkey!"

Jack chuckled. He _chuckled_! "Well that's no fun," He crossed his arms, "Maybe I like acting like a monkey."

Jack proceeded to swing back and forth and call out obnoxiously in monkey-like chatter. He even scratched under his arms like the mammals commonly do. His actions earned new found laughter from the kids.

Sofia crossed her arms and cleared her throat, resisting the urge to smile, "Well as it turns out you are not a monkey. Unfortunately for all of us you were born an obnoxious, stubborn, pig-headed _boy_!"

This silenced the children and put a rather surprised look on Jack's face. A look Sofia took much pride in. The boy swung forward from his upside-down position, grabbed onto the tree branch with his hands and rolled his feet off the bark, landing smoothly on the ground.

He looked Sofia dead in the eye and smiled devilishly before turning back towards the group of kids. He started walking funny, cocking out his hips and waving his hand flippantly back and forth.

"I'm Sofia," Jack teased in a mockingly girlish tone, "Look at me. I'm so important and grown-up. I'm all hard work and no play and I'm _always_ right. Do your homework. Eat your grains. Listen to me. Bla Bla Blaa."

The smaller children were nearly on the ground in insane laughter and it was all Sofia could do to keep her fuming rage in-tack. Jack started pointing fingers at the kids saying "No, no, no" like Sofia characteristically said quite often, and the girl lost it. She pulled her fists together tightly and strutted right over in Jack's face.

"You listen here, Overland. I know you think of this life of your as one big game, but let me tell you something. This world, your future, is anything but fun and games. You have got a family, a little _sister _even," Sofia Pointed to the little girl who shrunk away from her words timidly "that looks to you and depend on you to be there for them. Sooner or later life is going to smack you hard in the face and, I swear, I hope I'm there to see it happen."

A brief pause followed by a low "ooh" from the children followed her outburst. Jack just stared at her with a look filled with both amusement and a little bit of curiosity. The corners of his lips pulled into a half smile that, for a second, made Sofia's heart skip a beat. She blinked rapidly and the finger pointed at his face fell to her side. But as soon as it happened, that Overland boy snickered again and Sofia's anger caught up with her once more.

She turned, "You're impossible," and started making her way back towards the village.

"You say that now, blondie, but you know this town can't live without me," He called back.

Sofia stood her ground and kept walking, not wanting to get in this argument with him. She had a feeling, though, that if Jack didn't learn to control his incessant child-like habits, their town just might have to learn how.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review if you feel so inclined. This was the product of random thought and very quick writing so I would appreciate any feedback you have. Have a wonderful day! **


	2. Town market

**Hi all. Thank you kindly to all of you who favorited followed/reviewed my very random drabble! **

**Jack's little sister's name is Rosie in this. (I got the name from Hatsu Yukiya and her AMAZING RotG fic 'Snowflakes'. You guys should seriously check it out)**

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The monthly market was something Sofia always looked forward to. For three days, merchants from all around arrived in their colorful wagons and carriages bringing goodies from fresh strawberries and chocolate pastries to fancy dolls and lacy dresses. The market is a time for the people of Burgess to all gather for shopping and socializing. This month, Sofia's parents gave her one pound and five shillings to spend however she pleased. She made her way around, maneuvering the different stands and walking past marketers shoving faux gold necklaces and satin fabrics in her face.

The smell of freshly cooked bread filled her nostrils as she passed a pastry baker. Sofia gazed hungrily at the wares. Chocolate crepes, strawberry éclairs, blueberry muffins, and dozens more items that Sofia couldn't even identify littered the shelves.

She drank in the items, jingling the coins in her hands. If she spent half a pound on two yards of the beautiful fabric she saw back there, she would have enough left over for two éclairs. She could then use her remaining ten shillings to buy a nice, new gown for her doll that she got for her birthday last year. As Sofia calculated the math in her head, she heard a child's voice from behind her.

"Jack! Jack, Look at this!"

Sofia turned her head to see the Overland siblings standing a couple market stands over. The wooden stand was covered with intricate wooden toys, games, and musical instruments for children. One of which was being beautifully demonstrated by the merchants owner. Little Rosie stood in complete awe as the old merchant owner played the small flute with the skill of a master. Jack was looking down at her with a face full of love and content. It was an expression seldom seen on the oldest Overland's face; so seldom seen that it caused Sofia to pause and watch.

The old man finished his tune and Rosie started applauding unreservedly. The man bowed and affectionately smiled at his audience before going off to help another customer. Rosie tugged on Jack's overcoat.

"Did you hear that?" She piped excitedly.

Jack chuckled, but it was a more relaxed notion then Sofia was used to hearing. This laugh held no traces of sarcasm of mocking; it was one of love and content. "That was beautiful, Rosie."

The little girl bounced up and down, "Jack, how much is that flute? Can we buy one? Please! I could learn to play it! I could play the flute and father could play his friend's fiddle. And momma could sing! We could make our own band. Just like the one that plays at town sometimes."

Jack smiled, "Looks like you've got this all planned out, little lady."

"I'll give you a job too, Jack." Rosie continued, "You can be the group's dancer. Or, or maybe the person that collects the coins from the people that come and listen. Or, what about those court jesters that stand in front of fancy people and make them laugh? I think you'd be good at that Jack. You're so funny!"

Jack gave a hearty laugh.

"Am I funny Rosie?" He said with an impish smile. He snuck an arm around Rosie's back and snatched the small girl up in the air like a bird. Rosie gave a squeal of delight and started giggling as Jack "flew" her around the middle of the market square, her arms outstretched to act as wings.

Sofia couldn't help but give a small smile at Jack's actions. He was so easy with his sister. So genuine and loving. Jack continued to fly with Rosie into a nearby snow bank where the Overland siblings collapsed with laughter. Rosie slowly corrected herself before looking over to the table where Sofia was just standing: the table with the pasties.

Rosie's eyes lit up. She tugged on Jack's jacket again and pointed to the stand, "Jack, look!"

She stumbled to her feet, quickly brushing snow off her dress, and started making her way over to the baker. Sofia, smiling warmly, looked back over to Jack and was surprised by what she saw. Jackson Overland, the boy harboring not a care in the world, looked worried. He hesitated, eyes straining with internal conflict before slowly making his way to his sister. Rosie's eyes were glued to desserts and breads that she had probably never seen before. She pointed to the pile labels 'Strawberry Crepes'.

"Jack, come here! Do you see these? Look at how good they look. I was talking to Emily yesterday -you know Emily, right- and she said her dad brought her one of these last summer. She said they taste sweeter than sugar! Can I try one, Jack? Please? Did mom and dad give me enough money?"

Jack offered a hesitant half smile and Sofia, standing almost out of earshot, wondered why. He reached into his pocket and took out one half shillings and two pence. Dreadful realization crossed over Sofia's face. Sofia knew that wasn't even enough money to buy the pair half a loaf of bread, let alone a fancy strawberry dessert. The Overland family had been shepherds in Burgess for generations. Money was tight for them during the best of times. But Rosie was still too young to understand that and it seemed Jack was the last person on Earth who wanted to let her know.

Jack looked to the store baker and started talking to him in a hushed tone. The baker's expression turned soft and he looked down at Rosie. The man shook his head and held up his hands as if to say "I'm sorry, son. There's nothing I can do for you." Jack's shoulders slumped and he too glanced down at his sister. Her expression turned from hopeful excitement to one of hesitant confusion.

"Jack…?" She said cautiously.

Jack's face fell with his resolve. He reached into his other pocket and took out another half shilling and two pence: his share of the spending money. He showed the baker the shilling and four pence and went back to bartering. The baker considered hard for a moment before nodding ever so slightly and accepting the coins. Jack's expression brightened as the baker reached down and grabbed a fresh, hot strawberry crepe. The baker wrapped it up all nice and presented the treat to Rosie. She happily thanked the man, gave Jack a bone-crunching hug and ran off to the market center, taking small bites as she went.

Jack stayed behind and held his hand out to the baker. He thanked genuinely him for his generosity and told him how much his kindness meant to little Rosie. The baker nodded and Jack parted ways, off to find his sister.

The whole encounter utterly shocked Sofia. She looked down at her six fat coins of spending money and felt almost dirty. Her family was not considered fabulously wealthy by any means. But while she stood there wondering how many yards of fancy fabric she could take, Jack Overland stood yards away with nothing. Sofia wondered how often things like that happened to the young, skinny trickster. How many toys had he given so his sister would have something to play with? How many meals had he sacrificed so Rosie wouldn't go hungry?

Sofia pocketed her money and started making her way back towards her house, suddenly losing the urge to shop. Perhaps, she thought walking along the snowy path, Jackson Overland had more to him then originally met her eye.

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**Thoughts? **

**I appreciate reviews more then anything! If you like this, it would mean the world if you told me! If you didn't like it, tell me why. ****And thank you for reading!**

**Also, can you tell I like Human!Jack? cuz I really like Human!Jack :)**


	3. Campfire Horror Stories

**G'day all!**

******I changed the summary since this is now more of a drabble fic then just a single one shot. I have more ideas if you guys want them. All focusing on Jack when he was a human.**

******Also, thanks a ton for all the reviews/follows/favorites. I appreciate each one more then you know :)**

**Enjoy!**

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The town of Burgess had its little perks. It held a light, homey atmosphere only to be found where people knew everybody around them. Its stable economy of community businesses and workers gave a sense of security. And its attractive environment of little lakes and cheerful forests provided some, often much needed, change of scenery. A change of scenery Sofia would welcome on any normal night.

Tonight was not one of those nights.

"Many years ago, in these very woods, on _this very_ path, two sisters were walking in the dead of night…"

Sofia couldn't tell you how she ended up in this situation, and, currently sitting around a dimming campfire in the middle of the woods outside town, listening to ghost stories told by the other teens of Burgess, she wished she could be anywhere else.

"These two sisters, you see" Jackson Overland continued in a deep, rather menacing tone, "were trying to make it to their sick grandmother's house…"

"This isn't that story of that wolf is it?" Sofia's friend, and mutual companion to the other teens, Ruth said, "We've all heard that one already." Her hands trembled slightly in her lap.

Jack waved a dismissing hand at her, "No, it's not. Now shush, let me finish,"

"Yeah, unless you're scared" Jack's friend, John, snickered. John was like Jack in a lot of ways. Clever, childish, and confident. Their biggest difference was Jack had at least a slight filter whereas John had absolutely none.

Ruth held her tongue.

"As I was saying," Jack continued, "these sisters had the misfortune of traveling during a terrible rainstorm, a rainstorm that blocked out their dark path. Quite suddenly, however they saw a dim light up ahead and they came across a strange, raggedy man with a lantern, 'ladies,' he said to them, 'come with me and get out of this terrible rain.' The girls, being naïve, and sopping wet, agreed. The strange man led them to his cottage in the middle of nowhere-"

"If it's in the middle of nowhere then how does he know where to go?" Sofia challenged starkly. This whole story was absolutely ridiculous. What kind of person travels a path at night without an escort? How foolish. This wasn't scary. She most certainly wasn't trying to distract Jack so he would stop with his hunched back and darkened eyes and cold voice that was so out of character for him. She wasn't scared. No... Not in the slightest… She still kept her trembling hands folded in her dress.

Jack ignored her, "He took the girls inside and led them by the fire. 'Come my dear' the man said to the oldest sister, 'you must be hungry.' Then, in a dark tone, he added, 'I know I'm famished!' and he escorted the girl into his kitchen." Jack's voice darkened into a menacing growl ashe voiced the strange man. "He left the youngest all alone. Now, this girl had noticed the bad smell of the house the moment she stepped inside, but as she was looking around the room, she noticed something else. This strange man's home had no bedroom; nothing for him to sleep on. Instead, there was a big, muddy pile of dead leaves and grasses lying in the corner. The girl started to wonder. What kind of man had no bed in his home? She looked all around the house and on the floor she saw mud trails and large footprints. Some that didn't even look _human_."

Jack paused dramatically. The only sound Sofia heard was the eerie crackle of the fire and the uncomfortable, rapid beating of her heart.

"Suddenly!" Jack jolted, flaring out his hands, "There was a blood curdling scream from the kitchen. 'AHH!' The youngest sister ran to the door and flung it open! What she saw on the other side would haunt her for the rest of her _life_,"

Sofia, tearing her eyes away from Jack, looked around to the view of openly shivering children, none of which were trembling from the cold.

"Inside the kitchen, stinking up the room and feasting on her sisters insides, was a big. Giant. Rabid. Hungry... BEAR!"

Jack climaxed his story with legs spread out and hands fanged above his head like claws. The growly, deep voice he concluded in did its job well. Nearly everyone around the fire, girls and boys alike, (which unfortunately included Sofia) all jumped violently and were forced in various degrees of cowering positions. Poor little Davey, the smallest in the group, had completely retreated underneath the wooden log he had been sitting on moments before.

Jack gave a devilish grin and shrank down close to the flames, the light curling frightening shadows across his face, "The bear man killed both the sisters that night. For he is cursed to spend eternity as a man by day and ferocious bear by night. Some say he still haunts these woods today. Still preying on scared, lost children that dare walk along his path…"

A chilling silence commenced around the group, only broken by Ruth's shaky piping, "That's ridiculous, Jack! People don't just turn into bears because the sun goes down."

Jack sat down, folded his hands behind his head, and leaned back smoothly, "I wouldn't be so sure."

"Yeah," John supplemented, "How else do you explain all those disappearances?"

Ruth took the bait, "What disappearances?"

A voice suddenly popped up from behind the Sofia and Ruth's log, making both of them jump, "Oh haven't you heard? Three kids have gone missing this past season alone!"

"Stop it, Jack! You know as well as I do none of those were animal attacks. Plus, none of them were actually lost in these woods."

"Who said they needed to be lost?" Jack challenged darkly, "Maybe they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Sofia gave a deep sigh. 'No,' she told herself, 'that was not a sigh to cover up that horrible, sinking feeling in your stomach, that was merely an exasperated sigh because of all the time you have wasted paying the slightest mind to Jack Overland and his ridiculously immature friends.' Sofia had just about enough of this nonsense.

She stood and made a show of brushing off the dirt on her dress, "Well, great story Jack. Simply _riveting_ tale. But, if you don't mind, Ruth and I must enter the real world now. You know the one where men don't turn into raging animals because of some curse. But rather, where they're disgusting, immature pigs who find cheap amusement in fables and avoid any sort of chivalry for fear of actually having to be somebody!"

A collective 'ooh' came out of the smallest children and Ruth. Sofia drank in the annoyed, almost flabbergasted expressions of the boys.

But of course Jack would never give her that satisfaction. The boy continued smiling, "As you wish. Would you two ladies require an escort?"

Sofia scoffed, holding her head high, "Not from the likes of _you_, Overland"

Jack remained unfazed. "Suit yourselves. The gentleman in me hopefully _not_ being overtaken by this disgusting pig you spoke of begs that you two fine ladies to be careful and have a pleasant trip," His voice oozed with false pleasantries and mocking. He stood and gave the girls a low, exaggerated bow. His friends snickered and clasped Jack on the back.

Sofia forced herself to count to ten. Oh! How that boy made her blood boil. Sofia considered herself a fruitful contribution to society. She admitted, she held her witty retorts, future potential, and top primary school education high on her forehead for the world to see. And this Jackson boy had absolutely _no_ trouble smacking those endeavors right off. It only made things worse by the fact that Sofia could think of no alternative comeback to retort at the moment. Maintaining what was left of her dignity, Sofia took up her dress, linked her arm forcibly with Ruth, and turned down to the trail leaving a group of snickering teenagers behind.

Boys…

The pair started down the trail until the light from the fire was completely dimmed and the mumbled voices were finally out of earshot. Both girls soon came to realize, however, the path, so familiar to the both of them in daylight, took on a completely different form in the night. The unfamiliar winding of the trail coupled with strange noises bombarding the pair from seemingly all angles brought Sofia's heart rate up to an alarmingly high level.

"Sof," Ruth asked after a while, "you know where we are, right?" Sofia looked over to her. The poor girl looked absolutely terrified.

"Of course I do." Sofia assured. "Just a couple more turns and we'll see the town's lights,"

"Okay…"

Yet, after more minutes and more turns then either girl remembered having on the trek to the campfire, no light was to be found. The pair trekked on. Was this still the trail? These trees look so different… How long have they been walking? Didn't they pass that bush minutes ago? Suddenly, a shrill hoot of an owl pierced their thoughts and both girls jumped violently, gripping each other tight.

"God almighty!"

"Ruth!"

"Sorry."

Ruth sighed in exasperation, "Maybe we should just go back to the boys. I'm scared Sofia…"

Part of Sofia wanted more than anything to retrace their few steps back to the campfire. At least they knew how far away it was. But the image of Jack's snarky, patronizing face reformed Sofia's resolve. She was not going to give Overland the satisfaction of knowing he scared them with that stupid story of his.

"No, let's just keep walking. The faster we walk, the faster we'll get home."

Ruth swallowed hard but pressed forward with Sofia. "But what about that bear…" She said after a while.

Sofia crackled incredulously, "Oh, don't tell me you believed that ridiculous story!"

"Well, think about it! Jack was right. There _have_ been kids that go missing in the woods. What if there is some truth to Jack's story… what if there really _is_ a bear in these woods?"

At that precise moment a loud rustling around them caused the girl's voices to silence and their feet to halt. The sound of a large animal filled the trees around them and the ground shook slightly at the movement. The nearly nonexistent light permitted no great view of the forest around them and the girls caught themselves spinning their heads wildly trying to find the source.

"Sofia what was that?" Ruth's voice trembled something awful.

"I don't know" Sofia responded, her voice equally shaky but not taking the moment to care.

A large twig snapped to the side of the girls, causing their heads to whip towards the sound. The girls stared. Bushes around them rustled, then stopped, and everything went silent. The sudden, eerie quiet of the forest was broken by a ferocious roaring that caused the ground to shake and the leaves to rustle. Sofia and Ruth were utterly frozen in place, too terrified to move, when a large, black form burst through the tree line and right into the path. The massive form held out its great arms to reveal a pair of razor sharp claws ready to swipe down at any prey. Its black fur gleamed slightly in the moonlight.

Bear.

Sofia and Ruth ran for it. Both ladies disregarded all dignity. They hoisted up their dresses, let their bonnets fall off, and took off running away from the bear faster than either had ever in their lives. The shrill screams both emitted would put Russian opera singers to shame. But neither took a second to care. Their only goal was to get away: basic survival instinct. The forest became a blur of dark green and brown and the sticks and roots littering the ground became deadly drawbacks as Sofia felt the twigs dig into her flesh. But still she ran.

Sofia ran for an immeasurable time, feeling the giant creature tailing her, when all of a sudden, the angry growling and tearing stopped. In its place she thought she heard laughter. The girl dared slow down and quickly zipped around a tree, out of sight. She then dared a peak of her attacker.

Through the moonlight Sofia saw Jack Overland on the ground, clutching his stomach in insane laughter, covered from head to toe in a bear fur costume. His friends surrounded him, two of which were holding giant bear arms complete with massive paws and nails. All of which were laughing nearly as hard as Jack was.

Sofia quickly connected the dots. Her blood absolutely boiled; in her vision she saw red, "_Jackson Overland_!"

Jack's skinny form was too scrunched up in laughter, "Oh… God almighty… you- ha! You should have seen your faces. Oh, ha ha! The way you were running-!"

"They 'might as well have been runnin' from Satan himself!" John squeaked. "Didcha see where they're hats went? Those devils are clear across the way!" The boys crumpled once more.

Sofia looked to the tree across the path to find Ruth looking about ready to cry. The poor girl still looked scared. Sofia didn't even want to see what her face looked like. She blinked rapidly, forcing back tears of fear and anger.

"You tricked us…" Sofia turned back to the boys lividly.

Jack took a deep breath, attempting to control his fits of giggles, "Oh, Sofia…ha! _That_ was a good show. I wasn't sure how good the fur looked either. But, man, did I ever worry over nothing!"

Sofia came out from, behind her tree, her eyes barely under control at the moment. "You think this is funny, Overland? Scaring the holy hell out of innocent girls?"

"Well I don't know. John seemed to get a pretty good kick out of it."

Sofia's expression could have petrified wood.

"Come on, Sof," Jack continued. He grabbed her shoulders warmly, like reassuring an old friend, "It's just a joke. Learn to have a little fun!"

Sofia blinked. She blamed it on the wild wagon ride her emotions had gone through this evening, but, for some reason, the way he spoke did something to her. His small, half smile and an overall expression that shined of childlike delight and merriment caused her anger to melt away. In its place there was put an idea, a feeling, a spark of inspiration that filled her mind and emotions. It calmed her anger down and gave her a sense of mischievous tomfoolery that so often infected Jack.

Sofia stared Jack straight in the face, "You want some fun, Jack? Fine. You had your turn. Now I get to have mine." She smiled a devil's smile that nearly mirrored Jack's.

Before she could even see Jack's reaction, Sofia turned, gripped Ruth's hand and started walking her down the trail once more, already seeing the first of the town's lights poking through the branches. 'Jackson wants a prank war; I'll give him a prank war.' She thought. That boy was going to learn some respect, and knowing she would be the one to give it to him gave Sofia a thrilling sense of excitement and purpose she had never felt before. This was going to be fun.

Back on the wooded path, standing with a group of dumbstruck boys, Jackson Overland smiled. 'Finally' he thought, 'this was gonna be fun'

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**Thoughts? **

**This was a bit of a pain to write (and by far not my best work... writing horror stories is _not_ my forte, apparently). Hopefully it's not too hard to follow. **

**Thank you all for clicking and reading! Have a wonderful day and a Happy New Year if I don't update before then! :) **


	4. Goat Roping and Trickster Tipping

**G'day all!**

**A continuation of the prank war. This Chapter was such a blast to write! Hopefully you guys find it funny. **

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The Overland family had been a part of Burgess since the town was colonized in 1681. Their ancestors came to America on the legendary Mayflower and set up a steady occupation as shepherds on their acres of land. The sheep and goats the Overland's thanklessly look after have clothed and fed the people of Burgess through the years.

Jackson Overland's father was no different. Jack, being the firstborn son in his family, had been looking up to his father since he was born. He knew one day he was going to take over his father's occupation. It was one of the few things in life that he took with near absolute seriousness. He held his shepherd's staff proud and barley let it out of his sight since he'd received it on his twelfth birthday five years ago.

With all this in mind, Sofia was thoroughly caught by surprise when, while walking through the fields, she stumbled upon young Jack fast asleep at his post. His head and back lay inside an old wagon atop a hill, letting his knees and feet dangle in the wind. His shepherds staff lay gently on the side of the wagon as his sheep and goats wandered aimlessly, munching on grass, completely unaware of their masters unobserving state.

'That's odd…' Sofia thought as she made her way up the hill and to the wagon. Sure enough, the oldest Overland's eyes were closed and his face was set in an expression of full, sleepy content. And an odd feat it was indeed, but as Sofia continued to examine the boy, it dawned on her that this was an opportunity she could not pass up.

A malicious smile played in Sofia's lips as the wheels in her head started to turn. How often is Jack caught off guard? How often is Jack in such a vulnerable position? How could Sofia best take advantage of this opportunity? Suddenly, the girl formed a plan and took off running back towards the town to her father's shop.

"Father, I need some rope," She announced, barging into the blacksmith's shop.

"Rope?" Her father asked, looking up from his welding fire.

"Yes, rope. And a good, long stretch of it would be best,"

"Might I ask the intended purpose?" He moved towards a circle of thick, layered twine and handed it to his daughter.

"Oh… a little project of sorts. You'll see soon."

Sofia's father didn't miss the coyness of her tone but thought it best not to press the matter further. As long as no one was getting hurt and he wasn't losing any money, he was completely content to stay out of whatever it was she was plotting.

Sofia thanked her father, pecked him on the cheek, and took off running once more towards the Overland's fields. As she neared Jack's wagon, she slowed her pace and tiptoed up to the boy. She looked to his dangling foot and found them to be luckily covered in a pair of sturdy shoes and socks, for once, probably at his mother's request. This served her plan well. Ever so delicately, she looped her rope around Jack's skinny ankle and tied a secure knot. Careful, all the while, not to wake or jostle him.

Oh this was going to be fun.

Sofia looked around the field until she spotted the perfect goat to carry out her plot. The perfect combination of lean, yet muscular and fast. She gathered the creature in her arms and carried him over to the edge of the wagon. She then proceeded to take the other end of the rope not connected to Jack and tie it to the back ankle of the goat, linking the two creatures together.

"Good goat," Sofia soothed, keeping the creature calm.

She looked down the front line of the goat's vision and made sure he would be heading in the right direction. A diabolical smile was permanently planted on her face as she ever so carefully moved to the back of the goat.

"Good goaty," She continued. She then gathered up a lungful of air and, as loud as she could, yelled, "AAIEEEE!" and smacked the goat hard in its rear.

The goat did exactly as it was supposed to. The poor creature's eyes widened in terror at Sofia's sudden outburst and physical contact and it took off bolting down the hill. Then, the moment she had been waiting for. The rope connecting Jack to the goat suddenly tightened and a couple things happened at once. Jack's eyes snapped open in terror matching the goats. The goat continued running. And the rope hurtled poor Jack off the wagon flung his skinny body down the hill along with the goat.

Sofia was glad she'd had the goat run off down a hill because it made the whole encounter that much funnier. Jack's arms flailed desperately as he tried to make sense of his what exactly was happening to him and his butt was making mud and grass marks all over the hill. All the while he emitted a sound that resembled that of a loud, terrified, female Jackrabbit.

This couldn't be more perfect.

The goat, still running as fast as its little legs could take him and still pulling Jack in tow, neared the edge of the hill. The way the landscape was set up, the hill curved upwards and leveled off at a small cliff. The three foot drop of the cliff emptied out into what was usually a small pond. Because of the dry season Burgess was currently in, however, that pond miraculously filled with mud.

The goat, oblivious to the upcoming change in levitation, and Jack, still flailing and screaming, fell off the edge. Sofia heard a satisfying _splat_ and a loud groan and yell combination from Jack. She ran over to the hills edge and looked down. There lay Jack Overland, covered in mud, still attached to one of his equally muddy goats, on his bum looking like he'd just been the devil's play toy.

Sofia burst out laughing.

At the sound of the laughter, Jack looked up to see the instigator of this ordeal and put the pieces together, "Sofia…?"

Sofia could hardly breathe through her chortles, "That. Was. _Perfect_! Did you see that, Jack? Ha! You were absolutely priceless!"

Jack made to stand and accidently slipped into the mud once more, getting the rope tangled through his legs. This, of course, sent new waves of laughter through Sofia. However, by the time she was able to look down to Jack again, she was surprised to see what had become of him. He too was laughing. His clothes were covered in mud, he smelt like death, and he'd just gotten every single shred of dignity stripped from body and the boy was _laughing_.

Sofia stared at him quizzically.

"Sofia, I'm proud of you!" He finally said, "Tying my leg to the leg of my goat? That's a good one. I would have never thought of that." He stood up for real this time, wiping off the mud from his shirt and gathering it into his hands.

Sofia continued to stare, "You're not… you're not mad?"

"Mad!? Of course not! That was fantastic. I'm actually kind of embarrassed. I know you said it was your turn but, my God, I didn't know I could expect such plots from you."

Sofia tried to see if his words were genuine or not. He laughed to himself once more, still playing with the mud. His tone didn't seem to be mocking. No. he appeared to be genuinely impressed. For some reason, that reaction puzzled and annoyed Sofia more than then his first prank did. What did he mean 'fantastic'? How on earth was he not mad? Who did this boy think he is?

"There is one little flaw in your plan, however," Jack said, breaking her out of her mental conflict.

"Wha- what on _earth_ do you mean?"

"You shouldn't stand so close to me in a mud puddle,"

Sofia felt it before she actually registered what it was. A full mustekball-sized clump of mud contacted hard with her face, forcing Sofia's butt to the ground. Jackson started laughing again, moving himself closer to the edge of the cliff where Sofia sat.

Oh he did not…

Sofia wiped the sticky mud off her face and bent down to the edge, eyes almost level with Jack's.

"You did not just…"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I did." He gave that impish half smile and grabbed her shoulders. Before Sofia could stop him, he tightened his grip and fell backwards into the mud, bringing her along with him.

"Ahh!" She shrieked as her fine, school dress was suddenly covered in the gummy, wet dirt.

Jack started laughing, rolling through the ground, almost camouflaging himself with all the mud attached to his clothes. His laugh was infections and Sofia caught herself holding back chuckles watching his puppy-like behavior.

"Jackson Overland I cannot believe you just did that!"

"Oh believe it, Blondie. It was the least I could do to thank you for being a worthy opponent." He said, still on his back.

"It's not like it's too difficult to do," She countered.

"Oh, shush." He chuckled.

Sofia just smiled and gathered up her very own fistful of mud. She launched it in his face. He barely had time to close his mouth but the effect was still the same: challenge accepted. Sofia stood and started running away, desperately gathering her wet dress. Jack stood and launched another mud ball at Sofia, hitting her straight in the back of her head. She countered with a hard hit to his chest, causing the poor boy to slip and fall.

For how long this continued, neither could say. But by evening's light, both teenagers were covered from head to toe in mud, soaked to the bone and utterly exhausted. As Sofia braced herself to open the door to her unsuspecting family, she couldn't help but think.

Maybe Jackson Overland wasn't so bad after all…

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**Thoughts?**

**As always, thanks a ton for clicking and reading. Hope you all have a wonderful day. **


	5. Bar Fight

**G'day everyone!**

**I'm so sorry for the late update! School's been crazy as of late. Hopefully I'll never have to drag an update out this long again. **

**Also, I'm taking a little step away from the fluffyness of the other chapters. Please tell me what you think! **

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Life in what the English were calling 'the colonies' was very seldom easy. The few settlers who had founded this land endured more hardships then their original oppression in their homeland. The foreign soil and harsh winters forced the first generation into near extinction. The only reason the people survived was through the help and sharing of knowledge from the locals. And just when the colonists thought the worst was behind them, the British government followed through the seas.

Even now, in 1710, Burgess personally felt the grip of the British monarchy. In the middle of what people were calling the French and Indian War, redcoat soldiers could often be seen wondering through the small village, disregarding any sorts of civil attributes in favor of simple, power-crazy selfishness granted to them by the British Quartering Act. These soldiers were told to take "whatever means be necessary for the comfortable survival of their persons" and the people of the colonies were told to provide. Be that a meal, a bed, or even going as far as laundry or grooming service, if the colonists refused, the British government would hear about it.

On one particular, cool December evening, Sofia Milton had endured just about enough of that.

An entire swat of ten redcoats had hobbled their way into Burgess, all either starving from hunger or bleeding out from infected wounds. Or both. The people of the town rushed to help and within hours, every soldier had been given a home to rest in, a warm meal, and fresh bandages. One of the soldiers had been assigned to Sofia's home. That was four days ago.

Now, it was not rare for the soldiers to take their sweet time in leaving, but four days was pushing the limit, Sofia thought. Surely they had a job to do somewhere. Did they really have to keep using their space? Taking their food? Finally, after the soldier had asked Sofia for the fifth time for another keg of ale, she decided she needed some air.

The air was crisp and clean, moving into frosty winter and losing the humidity of its predeceasing seasons. Sofia let her mind wander as she listened to the bustling sounds of the town square slowly fade behind her. Her head, at least for the moment, free of oppression. She walked for an immeasurable time before finding herself at the farthest reaches of Burgess south streets. The sounds of drunken, over confident men filled her ears and she looked up to see the sign of the town's tavern staring back at her.

Great… the one place she didn't want to be.

Sofia made to turn back around when the crashing of what sounded like metal buckets against the ground caught her ears.

"Come on fellas! I was only joking. Have a little sense of humor."

Jack?

His voice, so recognizable in its deep, yet light, tenor filled the air. Near the back of the bar's alley, almost hidden from light, Jack Overland shook off the meaty hand of an angry redcoat. In the alley with him were, Sofia counted, four other redcoats, all in uniform and all smelling heavily of booze. All of which stood with their fists balled and shoulders pushed back. What Jack had done to piss off five of Britain's most powerful weapons, Sofia didn't want to know. But seeing his situation sent a very cold feeling down her spine.

"Look at this one. 'Nothing more than skin and bones, he is!" One soldier piped up, voice slurring considerably.

"This is what the lords tell us to watch out for? Smart-ass, little twigs? Ha! 'Might as well pack your bags now boys. We're done for, here."

The men roared in laughter, the drunkest tipping sideways dangerously Jack tried to use their momentary distraction, but as he slid past the giant men's forms, the last one of the group caught Jack's arm in his steely grip.

"Now, just where do you think you're goin'? I 'aint finished with you, boy!" Jack cried out in pain as the man's grip tightened around his thin arm. The men started to laugh again, hauntingly.

Sofia was absolutely terrified. Bone-napping fear, a fear greater than anything she'd ever experienced in her life, gripped her inside. No way in hell was Jack going to be able to fight off all these men. He'd be lucky to escape even one of them. And what use was she? A petty little girl? Not much of a threat. She couldn't very well leave him to go find help, either. She could hardly tear her eyes off him!

The soldier gripping Jacks arm suddenly thrust him against the side of the tavern wall, earning another whimper as Jack's head contacted hard with the brick. "We've still got'ta teach you a little lesson in respect, boy. 'aint that right, fellas?"

The other men roared their approval.

"We can't have little tricksters runnin' around our turf. We run a more… civilized nation than that."

"Civilized? Oh, is that what you're kidding yourselves as? I mist have missed that over the toxic smell of the booze and piss covering your clothes" Jack coughed as if unable to breath.

The soldier's laughter seized, along with the beating of Sofia's heart. Jack no...

The soldier slammed Jack's head against the alley wall once again, "I don't like your tone there, boy."

"Oww... sorry, could you repeat that one for me again, big fella?" Jack tried to squirm out of the soldier's tight hold to little anvil, "I couldn't quite hear you over you and your friend's drunken slurs. You know, if you ask me, I think we'd all find some mutual benefit to you lot taking some more of those bottles and shoving them firmly up your-"

Jack didn't get a chance to finish. The Soldier's fist collided hard with Jack's jaw and the force of the jab sent the boy's head whipping to the side. The soldier let go of Jack's collar and, when he crumpled to the ground, the soldier started kicking Jack over and over mercilessly in the center of his torso.

Sofia didn't know what to do. Her mind screamed at her to get away but her feet wouldn't move. The soldiers surrounded Jack's fallen form and collectively started taking turns beating and kicking his curled body. With each boot-on-skin or skin-on-skin contact Sofia's heart and stomach dropped a little more. She couldn't even think straight. Jack! Tears welled in her eyes before she could register their company and her vision blurred frighteningly.

Help. She had to get help. Jack needed help.

The soldier's were killing him.

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**Thoughts?**

**This drabble got much longer then I anticipated so I'll post part two tomorrow. **

**Also, I don't know why I haven't said this before, but if you guys have any prompt ideas Please don't hesitate to offer them up!**

**Thank you for clicking and reading!**


	6. Bar Fight part 2

**G'day everyone!**

**Here's part two from yesterday. **

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_Jack didn't get a chance to finish. The Soldier's fist collided hard with Jack's jaw and the force of the jab sent the boy's head whipping to the side. The soldier let go of Jack's collar and, when he crumpled to the ground, the soldier started kicking Jack over and over mercilessly in the center of his torso._

_Sofia didn't know what to do. Her mind screamed at her to get away but her feet wouldn't move. The soldiers surrounded Jack's fallen form and collectively started taking turns beating and kicking his curled body. With each boot-on-skin or skin-on-skin contact Sofia's heart and stomach dropped a little more. She couldn't even think straight. Jack! Tears welled in her eyes before she could register their company and her vision blurred frighteningly._

_Help. She had to get help. Jack needed help._

_The soldier's were killing him._

Sofia, acting on adrenaline and blind concern for Jack, took off straight for the tavern's main door and burst through.

The kindly bartender, a woman named Harriet, looked up in surprise to the sudden, loud arrival before her eyes narrowed in disproval, "Oi, what do you think you're doing here little lady? You're much too young to... Sofia, dear, what's the matter?" She stopped in her scolding at the expression on Sofia's face.

"Jack!" Sofia stuttered, "It's Jack. He's outside! The soldiers... they're... beating- kicking. Jack. Help!"

A look of dreadful realization dawned on Harriet's face and she quickly motioned over the men dining at the nearest table. She gathered a hidden musket from behind the counter and led the men swiftly outside.

In the alley, the Soldiers still surrounded poor Jack. Sofia's view was blocked by the large men's bodies but she caught glimpses of Jack's curled form and light streaks of red across the gravel road. Harriet handed the musket to one of the men who'd come out with her and he fired a shot straight into the air. The air split with the hard explosion of the gun and immediately the Soldier's ceased their assaults.

"Bloody Hell!"

The five redcoats turned to face their new opponents, this time looking even worse for wears. The townspeople of Burgess stood their ground and looked the soldier's straight in the eye, either not afraid of confrontation or too angry to care.

"What on Earth do you think you're doing?" Harriet reprimanded, her face a livid mask of blind confrontation.

One of the soldiers, the same who had first started beating Jack, stumbled forward, "The boy was bein' tricky, ma'am. And mouthy. Me and My lads here was just teachin' him a little lesson about respectin' his elders."

"I don't believe it is your job to provide corporal punishment in our town. British government has put that power in our local officials."

The soldier stared at Harriet, sizing her and the men around her up. "The boy was tryin' to make a fool of us. Now, I don't think our government would take too kindly to hearin' such an outrage was happenin' to their soldiers. If you know what I mean..." The man smiled grotesquely.

A trap. That's what the soldier had just put Harriet in. These Soldiers held enormous power in the colonies. Their word was basically law and the threat of bringing a bad word back to the mother land was a trick used before, yet still the most effective. There was nothing Harriet could say, Sofia thought, to bring about punishment for their actions towards Jack. Nothing to regain justice.

"Aye," Harriet stood her shallow ground, "I don't think your precious government would take to kindly to a copy of the tab their men have been running at my pub either. Drunken soldiers don't exactly leave a sparkling impression, now do they."

Sofia dared a sigh of relief. It wasn't much, but Harriet had gained the slightest advantage back. Both parties now had something on the other, and both parties shared the desire to never let these events get public. The head soldier let her words sink in and formed a rather unattractive, displeased expression as his moment of glory was taken away. Still, the man lowered his fist and backed away from Jack, gesturing for his comrades to do the same.

"I believe we got an understanding, then?" Harriet quipped.

The soldier glared, hacked, and spit at the woman's feet, "You learn to control yer young." He warned threateningly.

One of the townsmen moved forward at the soldier's offensive action, but Harriet held out a hand, "Richard…" She warned to the man, 'let this one slide' her expression said. 'There are more pressing issues.' The man backed down begrudgingly. Sofia dimly noted just how much influence Harriet had over this situation. The power of a woman's touch…

One by one, the soldier's took off slowly down to the alley's exit. Each man kept angry eye contact with each steadfast townsman. The delicate, almost crushing tension of the situation remained until the final Soldier's shadow was out of sight. Then time finally sped up again.

All four townsmen, plus Harriett and Sofia, rushed to Jack's unmoving, curled figure. One of the men turned him over to reveal his bloody, unconscious face. Poor Jack had bloody smears around his nose, and mouth, with the sight of oncoming bruises on his cheekbones and eyes. His face was frighteningly pale, which only made the crimson liquid stand out that much more.

Sofia's stomach lurched dangerously and she averted her eyes as her world started spinning. Harriet let out a small gasp of horror and took Sofia in her arms, as if trying to shield the child from the situation. The men shook their heads sadly, wondering how anyone could do such damage to a child, before the biggest one, Richard, Sofia remembered, took up Jack's small, limp form in his arms and turned to Harriet.

"I'll take him to the physician. Get him looked after."

The bartender nodded, solemnly, "Good old mister Rogers won't mind. It's after hours but… I think he'll understand." She looked pointedly at Jack's figure and Richard nodded firmly before he turned to go. The other men stayed behind with Henrietta, just in case.

Sofia blinked, forcing her mind to focus, "Wait! I'm coming with you!" She called after the man. She wasn't going to leave Jack. For some reason her chest felt very heavy and constricting at the sight of watching him go. She didn't like it. She just needed to see with her own eyes that he was going to be alright.

"I'm begging your pardon, miss, but uhh…who are you?" Richard asked. He seemed to have momentarily forgotten she was there. That she was the girl who had barged into the tavern in the first place.

"I'm his… friend. I want to make sure he's alright."

Richard looked at her for a moment before he shrugged his shoulder and beckoned for her to follow them. She gladly stepped in tow.

The journey to the doctor's, Mr. Rogers, home was quick and quiet, not surprising since Burgess was no more than a thirty minute hike from one edge to the other. Sofia pounded forcibly on the old wood door.

"Who's that? Who's out there? At this hour! Oh, I'm coming, I'm coming. Patience, patience" Came the crickety voice of the town doctor through the door. The brass handle turned and out popped the slim, bespeckled form of Mr. Clint Rogers. He wore an expression of slight annoyance, most likely from being summoned at such a late hour, before his eyes went to Jack lying in Richard's arms. His expression turned grim and sober very quickly, "What's this?" He inquired.

"Bar fight." Richard said simply, "The boy got tangled with a couple redcoats."

Mr. Rogers made a disappointed clicking sound, "That Mr. Overland. Always lookin' for trouble… it'll be the death of him one day." Sofia didn't like the tone of that… "Come in, come in," Mr. Rogers waved the pair inside.

Richard lay Jack down gently on the clean, feather bed in the doctor's main room. Mr. Rogers grabbed a clean bucket of water and a small vile and walked around to the other side of the table.

He looked at Richard, "Hold him up"

Richard grabbed Jack from under the arms and steadied his lolling head. Mr. Rogers uncorked the small vile and held the tip under Jack's nose. Jack's eyes snapped open and rough, hacking coughs erupted from the boy's lungs. Sofia jumped fiercely at his sudden response, giving off a small shriek. That was the last thing she expected to happen.

Mr. Rogers looked from Jack to her, "Smelling salts, my dear." He explained, "Right and handy in a pinch like this. Now then," he turned back to Jack, "It's Jack, right? You're at the physician's house, my boy. Ya got in a bit of a tussle there. I want ya to breathe in real nice and deep for me. Can ya do that, lad?"

Jack's face contorted briefly in a combination of pain and disorientation. He nodded and tried to expand his chest. Very quickly it became apparent that hadn't been the best suggestion when Jack started coughing again and crumpled in on himself with hands wrapped tightly around his torso. Sofia made to move forward again and ended up standing right next to the side of Jack's bed. She wasn't exactly sure what to do, but settled by placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Ow…" He managed, head still bowed.

"Hmm… yes. I'll say you've bruised a couple ribs there, my boy. You'll have a nasty bruise there for a couple weeks but nothing ya can't live through."

Jack slowly uncurled himself and set his head back on the thin pillow, "Bollocks." He said hoarsely.

Sofia turned to Mr. Rogers, "Thank you, sir. We're sorry to bother you so late at night." She needed to get that out. An entire anvil had just been lifted off her chest and she could breathe properly again. Of course the situation was far away from ideal but at least Jack would suffer no lasting damage. At least she could see his chocolate eyes again…

The doctor waved a nonchalant hand, "Not a problem, not a problem."

After looking over the rest of Jack's body and prescribing him three days of bed rest (which earned a quiet scoff and smirk from Jack). Mr. Rogers told him to put snow on his face to keep the swelling down as much as possible, and he should make a full recovery. Jack numbly thanked the good doctor and Richard for their help. Mr. Rogers escorted Richard out the door.

Sofia stayed behind. She gave a worried look to Jack before busying herself with the rag placed over the bucket of cool water. She wet the rag and rung out the extra drops of water.

Jack broke the silence, "So where exactly did you come from?"

Sofia dunked the cloth in once more. Anything to keep her hands busy, "I saw them kicking you in the alley. I ran to the bar and got some help."

"Aww, you do care." Even in his injured state, half his face covered in either blood or bruises, Jackson Overland managed his trademark smirk.

God, was he annoying!

Sofia rolled her eyes, "I saved your neck. A simple 'thank you' would be nice."

"Thank you."

"You're impossible" She huffed.

Mr. Rogers came back inside, probably realized the conversation he was interrupting, and awkwardly gathered up the vile and extra supplies and hurried out the room. Leaving Jack and Sofia alone once again. Sofia rung out the cloth once more and started dabbing Jack's forehead.

"What exactly did you do to piss those soldiers off so badly?" She asked after a while.

"I was throwing snowballs at them. And, uhh… I might have frozen their path over with some water… A couple of 'em might have slipped on the ice." He said it so matter-of-factly, it made Sofia laugh incredulously.

"You threw snowballs at the soldiers of the world's most powerful stronghold?"

"They were asking for it!"

Sofia shook her head, "That's not the point Jack. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have been in? Those men are powerful."

He shrugged, cringing slightly in momentary pain, "They're still wretches. I was simply putting them in their place."

"Yes because throwing balls of snow is so terrifying."

"Hey now, you should have seen the one guys face. Could'a sworn he thought the devil started raining on him! Nearly pissed his pants, I think."

Both Jack and Sofia laughed at that. The image of a great and powerful soldier flailing in circles crying and screaming at the sky filled Sofia's mind. The two teenagers drew out their moment. They forgot momentarily their rather dismal situation in favor of happier thoughts. One of Jack's specialties: lightening a mood and making the world just a little bit brighter.

The pair eventually fell into a comfortable silence. Sofia occasionally dabbed at Jack's face, cleaning it up. Jack slowly let his eyes slip closed. His expression turned peaceful.

"Jack…?" Sofia said after a while.

"Hmm?" He replied through closed lashes.

"Promise me you'll not try anything stupid like this again?"

"Aww where's the fun in that, blondie?" He smirked, "Without me doing something stupid, this town would be boring."

She let that hang in the air for a while. Before she knew it, she heard the deep, rhythmic pattern of Jacks breath as he fell asleep. His last words still hung in the air, however, and Sofia heard herself speaking to nothing.

"Indeed it would, Jack. That's what scares me."

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**Thoughts? **

**Yes, I know the real Quartering act didn't get passed until 1765 and that Jack died in 1712 (and that it wasn't passed in Pennsylvania) but I've wanted to toy with this idea for a while. The whole idea of the Intolerable Acts just infuriates me. How they could even imagine such constricting laws to a country not harming the British life in any real way and struggling to survive on their own is just appalling. If you ask me, they were egging on a revolution.**

**That partially drags some of the dialogue here. The British government knew that their grip of the colonies was slipping and they were getting rather desperate with these intolerable acts. Of course they handle the situation in the worst way possible, but I have a feeling they knew trouble was brewing.**

***end rant* Sorry… that's my old-fashioned American coming out on me. Plus wordy authors note... sorry!**

**As always, thank you so much for clicking and reading!**


	7. Imagination and Playtime

**G'day everyone!**

**I'm turning back the clock with this one. Both Jack and Sofia are seven here. Enjoy!**

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Sofia learned at a very young age that boys and girls appreciated different things. Sofia and Ruth were more than content to spend afternoons quietly enveloped under a tree's shade, forming imaginary and homey worlds with their dolls. The two would play house or princess with their small cloth-and-stuffing dolls. They dressed the figures up, took them walking or dancing about, and always had them home in time for dinner.

Jack and his friends were quite the opposite.

If the small, seven year-old pack of boys were not seen somewhere running madly through the streets of Burgess, they were sure to be up by the pond or somewhere in the woods exploring and playing. Those boys spent countless hours with their wooden swords and toy horse sticks, playing games of war and soldiers or daring quests and knights. They reenacted bloody battles and created fearsome monsters. They always saved the damsels in distress.

Yes, little boys and little girls had seldom in common. In a town as small as Burgess, however, it was often difficult to keep the two gender's different styles of playtime completely separate. Much to young Sofia's ever-growing exasperation.

"Raaw! Stand down foul beast!"

Sofia - all seven years of her - emitted a high pitch scream at the sudden jab of the wooden stick to her back. Her reaction to the surprise call played out perfectly with young Jack's plan.

Sofia hadn't even been doing anything to him. She was just sitting at the back of the big oak tree, minding her own business and brushing her doll's hair, when Jack snuck up on her. Sofia jerked around and saw Jack standing in attack position, wielding his wooden stick like a sword. His face showed a cross between adult seriousness, and childhood rambunctiousness.

"Jack!" Sofia wailed, trying to keep her surprise tears in check, "You meany! You can't sneak up on girls like that."

"You can't fool me, fowl beast! You're not a girl. You're a big ugly goblin if I ever saw one. You _stink_ just like 'em." He waved his hand in front of his nose and crumpled his face. "Stand down now and I _might_ just spare your life." He finished menacingly, pointing the stick at Sofia's face.

"Jack stop! You're not funny. And I'm _not_ a goblin!"

Sofia stood and made to go but Jack just hopped on top the big stone, twirled his makeshift sword, and blocked her path.

"Yes you are. And don't even think about trying to escape. Your magical powers won't work on me."

Sofia balled up her little fists. Why couldn't stupid boys just go play their stupid, _disgusting_ games by themselves? She didn't want to be a goblin. Why couldn't _Jack_ be a goblin? If goblins smelt bad, he was much closer to being one then she was.

"Goblins don't even _have_ magical powers. You're stupid." She'd hoped insulting him would knock Jack out of his fantasy game, but Sofia had no luck.

"Distracting me won't work either, goblin! I have you now. Raaw!"

Jack, still standing on top the giant rock, suddenly leaped up and dove at Sofia with his stick. Sofia screamed and, acting on pure instinct, threw herself to the side. She avoided the boy's attack, but earned a grass stain on her brand new dress. She looked down at the markings.

Oh no he didn't.

Jack was off to the side laughing hard in the grass, probably at the expression she'd had on her face. Sofia's face contorted into a mask of anger and vigor. She hoisted herself up, gathered up a wad of grass in both her hands and marched over to his chuckling form. She stood over him dangerously, holding up her fists.

"You want magic, Jack? Fine! Take some!"

She heatedly threw her grass balls at his face. The globs broke formation and little pieces of grass blades sprinkled themselves over his face and stomach.

"Ahh! No! The goblin's attacking!" Jack shrieked. He covered his face with his hands and madly tried to rid himself of the green flecks. He quickly scrambled up and took off running down the hill, "Retreat! Retreat!"

"Jack, come back here, you scaredy-cat!"

Sofia, now completely submerged in the game, gathered up a second round of magic grass and followed Jack down the hill. If she _was_ to be the goblin in this story, she was going to be darned sure it was the monster that came out on top.

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**Thoughts?**

**I've gotten an offer for a beta! The wonderful galacticEntity will now be making this fic tolerable to future readers. All the thanks to her!**

**Side note: Ohh how I wish authors could reply to guest comments. (I don't need to know who sent it, just let me reply..?) A huge thanks to the guest who pointed out my factual error last chapter. Of course muskets can't fire more then one shot without being reloaded. I actually can't believe I let that slide... Thank you so much for the catch!**


	8. Snowstorm

**G'day everyone!**_  
_

**Jack and Sofia are 17 in this one. Rosie (Jack's little sis) is 9. I have this headcannon where the Overland siblings are ten years apart. **

**Enjoy!**

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_This was a horrible idea. This was a massively, ruddy horrible idea_. Sofia repeated to herself over and over as she took another painful step through the snow-covered path.

Maybe once in a generation, Burgess held witness to terrible storms. This particular year, 1710, the blizzard that racked the town's walls was the worst in their short, recorded history. For nearly a week, the citizens locked their doors and boarded their windows in feeble attempts to keep at least a fraction of the bitter wind and snow out of their homes. A town as small as Burgess being near completely shut down for that long did nothing to strengthen the survival rate of a typical winter. As far as Sofia Milton was concerned, this storm was the beginning of her healthy fear of winter.

By the blizzard's fourth day of attack, the Milton household was near its breaking point. The firewood in their possession was down to single digits, food that hadn't been frozen solid was being rationed, and the family was slowly freezing to death in their thin walls and skinny bodies.

Sofia knew her father was unable to go outside and get more firewood. Her father was… unwell. Ever since his incident last winter he'd… not been the same and his degrading body just wouldn't allow for the current, harsh conditions outside. Her mother wasn't going to brace the winds either. That left only two options: pray the storm blows over before their stock wore out, or have Sofia get more.

Frankly, Sofia had endured just about enough of numbed fingers and bone-deep shivering to last her a lifetime. Rather without her mother or fathers consent, she braved the heart of the storm that night.

That was how she found herself in her current situation.

No one told her that dark winter storms clouded everything over with harsh waves of ice and snow. No one warned her that every step she took would be a precarious balancing act between slippery ice and mis-stepping into three feet of a snow bank. And no one said that five minutes of searching for the firewood stalk one hundred yards from her house would cause her to lose all bearings.

Sofia was lost. She was lost and she couldn't see more than an arm's length in front of her. She was terrified.

She just had to get out of this blasted wind. Damn the firewood; at this point, she would be lucky if her frozen fingers could even curl around the bark. She was just cold. So very cold… her mind worked frighteningly slow as she kept trudging through the wind. She could care less where she was at this point. It was stupid of her to have even come outside. Shelter. She just needed to find some shelter.

Everything was so cold…

She kept staggering mechanically and, an immeasurable time later, Sofia chanced a glance up and saw the faintest light up ahead. A house? Her heart rate accelerated and somehow she found the energy to half run, half limp towards the soft glow. She made it to a wooden door and numbly started pounding against the timber. She didn't even think of the possibility that her pounding might be brushed off as mere howling wind, but luckily she didn't have to. Moments later, the door swung open and Sofia literally tumbled inside. She fell easily into a pair of warm, sturdy arms.

The soft grunt and urgent words of a male, the one who had caught her, numbly reached Sofia's conscious. She was dimly aware of the boy shouting.

"Mother, come quick!"

Sofia lifted her face from his warm chest to see a somewhat blurry image of Jackson Overland. Something told her that was significant… but her frozen brain was far past clarity at the moment. The boy looked down at her with a mix of fear and confusion. He tried precariously to keep her limp form balanced in his arms. In the background, Mrs. Overland came from the sitting room and quickly assessed the situation. She put a surprised hand to her lips before collecting herself and barking quick orders to her son.

Sofia just let herself fall back into his arms after that. Her world blurred away from her. A strange warmth flooded her body as her world faded to black…

Another immeasurable time later, Sofia felt her eyes flutter open and her world came back into focus. She was placed on the floor. Wool blankets covering her, and a crackling fire next to her created an altogether comfortable environment. Sofia blinked and sat up, trying to make sense of exactly what happened.

A quick glance around the room told her she lay in the Overland family's sitting room. Supported by columns of strong, wooden logs, the square room held only the bare minimums of a house. The fireplace behind her provided the central heating as well as their cooking stove for their adjacent kitchen unit. The only doorway, other than the front door, led into the single bedroom where the four members of the family shared. The cabin-like abode alone could easily be considered dingy and eerie, but there was too much of the Overland family's cheerful spirit in the nooks and crannies to bring its personality down.

"At last, the sleeping princess awakens."

Sofia's head darted to the single chair in the center of the room and found Jack sitting sideways, his butt in the center of the cushion with bare feet dangling off the edge. He closed the book he'd been reading and turned towards her. Sofia, in her semi-delirious state, thought she saw a bit of relief in Jack's expression, but he would tell her afterwards that she had just imagined it.

"Wha- What happened?" she stuttered, wiping her hands over her sleepy eyes.

"You tell me. You're the one pounding on my door during a chaotic blizzard. We just pulled you inside."

"I… remember seeing a light. A house. And, pounding on the door."

Jack slyly pulled up the corner of his mouth, "Don't forget the part where you fell oh so gracefully into my arms," He snickered, "If _that's_ all you wanted, Blondie, all you had to do was ask."

Heat rose to Sofia's face that had nothing to do with the fire. She very clearly remembered that part, that didn't mean she wanted to bring it up. She opened her mouth, trying to find something clever to say, when little Rosie poked her head into the sitting room.

"Jack…?" her small, sweet voice cautioned. Her chocolate eyes went from her brother to Sofia's sitting, blanket-clad form and Rosie's face broke into a grin, "You're awake! Mother, she's awake!" her animated head disappeared behind the wall once more and shuffling was heard from the kitchen.

Sofia looked at Jack quizzically and he simply returned with a knowing smile. His sister returned moments later, precariously balancing three glasses if steaming tea on a tray. Rosie bounced to Sofia and offered her a cup which she accepted thankfully. Jack got the second cup and Rosie helped herself to the last. By first sip Sofia could tell the tea had been watered down, but its warmth and refreshing effect sent the last remaining numbness out of her body.

Jack's mother and father entered the sitting room with the children. Mrs. Overland, looking a little frazzled, but altogether kind and gentle, walked next to Mr. Overland who carried himself with an air of confidence and gentle authority.

"There you are, dear." Mrs. Overland said gently, wiping her hands on a warn cloth, "How are you feeling?"

"Gave us a pretty good scare, there, little lady." Mr. Overland's deep tenor softly chuckled.

Sofia looked at the couple, all but radiating the loving bond they shared, and smiled, "I think I gave myself a pretty good scare. I guess the snow took me by surprise. I didn't realize how hard it was to see." She looked down, almost guiltily, "I'm sorry for… barging in like I did."

"Think nothing of it." Mr. Overland waved a nonchalant hand, "We're just glad you managed to find us. Folks don't see wind the likes of this more than probably twice in their lifetime. We forget what kind of power the good lord has over the earth." Mrs. Overland warped a comforting arm around her husband's waist and he returned the light embrace.

Rosie piped up from the floor, "The wind is cold though, father! That will freeze the lakes over, right?"

Her father chuckled, "I'd say so. I'd say those lakes are as good as solid till spring."

"Oh yes!" Rosie jumped up, almost forgetting the tea mug at her feet. She ran over to Jack, gripping his forearm excitedly, "That means you're gonna take me out skating, right Jack? Remember, you promised!"

Jack chuckled heartily. "You wanna go ice skating?" He picked up her lean frame and fell back sideways in the chair, letting his sister fall onto his chest, "You bet, rose flower! As soon as the sun comes out"

Rosie giggled into her brother's chest and Sofia found her heart swell like it so often did when Jack was around his sister. Jackson Overland never failed to surprise her…

Mrs. Overland, smiling softly, pried off her smallest child from her oldest and lifted her into her arms, "All this talk of skating in the middle of a storm… Come on Rose, love. It is far past your bedtime."

"But mommy, Sofia's here!" Rosie pouted.

"And I'm sure Sofia is tired too, especially after the eventful night she's been having. Let's let her be." The woman smiled at Sofia, "We'll be sure to get you home in the morning, dear." Sofia nodded in thanks and Mrs. Overland led both her husband and daughter into the bedroom. The faint cries of '_But mommy, I'm not tired'_ from Rosie were muffled behind the door and left Sofia and Jack alone in the sitting room once again.

Jack picked himself up into a sitting position and walked over to sit at Sofia's spot near the fire. He chuckled. "Kids, huh?"

"You're so good with her." Sofia smiled, almost surprised with the level of sincerity in her tone.

"She's great." He smiled, saying much more with his expression then his words. "I don't know what I'd do without her."

"I'll bet there are people who say the same about you." She didn't know what made her say that. It just came out.

"Yeah… people" There was hidden emotion on his face that made Sofia's heart flutter in her chest. What did that mean? He sounded almost… regretful. Hesitant. Cautions. Sofia hoped his words didn't point to thoughts of ungrateful townspeople. Jack must know of his popularity with nearly everyone in Burgess. The kids loved him for his playful demeanor; the parents loved him because he ran down their children of excess energy; the ladies loved him for his handsome confidence and the savvy, flirtations persona he gave them.

Jack must realize all that. He certainly walked around like he realized it… So why did he look so thoughtful?

Jack shook his head, jolting himself out of a ravine. "So, what exactly were you doing out in the middle of a blizzard, Blondie? You know snow is cold, right?"

"Ha ha, funny." Sofia retorted, "I was… trying to get firewood." It just dawned on her how foolish and ridiculous that sounded.

Jack simply barked at its preposterousness, "Firewood? You went out in one of the worst storms this town has seen, _alone_, in the middle of the night, to get firewood!?"

Sofia felt her face turning red again, "We were freezing! And we were all out and I knew my parents didn't want me to go so I had to do it when they were sleeping. I-"

Sofia was cut off by Jack's laughter. The boy nearly crumpled in on himself in his fit of giggles. Sofia's mouth hung open in disconcert.

"Ohh, Sofia. You never seize to amaze me." He said finally. "I mean, I knew you were stuck up and stubborn, but I never knew how foolish you were!"

"Foolish!? Says the seventeen year-old who tips cows and throws snowballs for fun!"

"Oh, you should've seen the cow's expressions. Priceless!"

"You are so juvenile sometimes." Sofia sighed.

"I prefer to think of it as a healthy connection to my childhood." He smirked.

"You're impossible!"

"I try."

Sofia tried to glare as Jack laughed. His face against the flame of the fire took on a warm glow that made his already handsome features far more endearing then they should have been. Sofia settled on rolling her eyes and returned her gaze to the flames to avoid his expression and what it did to her composure.

The pair fell into silence. Sofia tried to keep her annoyance at Jack burning, but the warmer her body got by the light of the fire, the more negative emotion melted away. She was happy to be where she was and glad that Jack was by her side. The pair sipped at their tea contently, each to their own thoughts.

After a while in silence, Jack looked over to her, "You'll promise me something, right?"

"Depends on what it is." Sofia replied.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid like this again?"

She blinked. Sofia couldn't help the whirlwind of memories that came flooding back at his words. Memories of Jack's bloody body in the streets and that horrible smell of the doctor's house took her thoughts. She cleared her throat and forced herself back, not wanting to resurface too much.

"Funny, I seem to recall asking you the same thing."

"Yeah well… you owe me, then" He smiled.

Sofia returned his warm grin. She felt very… safe in his presence and the fact that he worried about her enough to wish the same she did to him sent both her stomach spinning rather frantically. She felt an unidentifiable weight lift off her shoulders. With him here, happy and healthy, she easily forgot darker memories and, really, all unwanted feelings. Part of her almost didn't regret getting trapped in the snowstorm. If she hadn't, would Jack have ever said that to her?

She looked over to him and playfully nudged his shoulder, feeling more content then she had in a long time.

"I promise."

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**This was a collaboration of many people. First, this lovely request came from lunarock9. I hope I did your idea justice! And my dear friend, SweetenedSpoilers who helped graciously with the different conversation bits. And finally my wonderful beta GalacticEntity for making it readable! I cant thank all of you enough!**

**Also, I'll always take requests, my box is always open! :) **

**And, finally, I want to apologize for the lateness of this update. It's finals week coming up.. I blame AP Biology. **

**Cheers!**


	9. Dancing Lessons

**G'day everyone!**

**Since I can no longer keep things in chronological order, I'll tell you how old people are from now on. Jack is 17 going on 18 in this one**

* * *

Every year, around a month after Easter, the Burgess climate would slowly start to creep upwards as early spring curved into the prospect of warm summer. And every year, with most of its residents suffering from a near intolerable case of cabin fever, Burgess would celebrate the warm temperatures with a gathering. Over the years, this gathering's traditions gave the townspeople a chance to shed off their woolen overcoats, tip their glasses back, and dance their way into sweet summertime.

This spring-into-summer gathering was Sofia's favorite time of the year for a couple reasons. One: the weather finally started to clear up a little. Not that she didn't appreciate snow… her home simply became increasingly claustrophobic in those last few weeks of the cold season. Two: the growing season started up again and that meant fresh food, and other goods for the economy of Burgess. A very welcome change from the stifling grains rationed carefully. Three: the dance.

Along with the socializing and the drinking and the merriment, Burgess always gathered up its few musicians, cleared out a patch near the city square, and held a dance floor for all the people to promenade on. The girls twirled in their beautiful dresses and the men gathered them up in their arms and held them close. Love came back into the air like a virus and the entire town sparkled.

The dance was Sofia's favorite part.

This year was going to be especially wonderful. She hoped she was finally old enough to start attracting attention from the more… mature lads of Burgess. This dance would, quite possibly, be her steps towards finding her future husband.

She still had three days to prepare. She went to town to look for some more thread to make repairs on her dancing dress when she spotted Jackson Overland over in the corner. He was just crouching there, body hidden and head peaking around the corner as if looking for someone discretely.

Finally, in his scanning, his eyes met up with hers and his expression flashed a look of mixed directness and relief. His hidden hand popped out and he anxiously waved her over.

What now?

Sofia was busy. She needed to get her dress finished in time for the dance and she still had other shopping to do. Still, there was something in Jack's expression that caused her to turn. Was that… embarrassment? Caution? Jack was never really one to hide away like he currently did. What could he possibly want? Her curiosity won over and she sauntered over to his corner.

"Jack, what are you doing?" She started.

"Shh!" He whispered, putting his pointer finger to his lips, "Keep it down would you." The poor boy looked incredibly uncomfortable. His chocolate eyes darted back and forth, scoping the parameter like a frightened bunny.

"What do you want?" Sofia whispered, trying her best to hold back an amused smile.

"I… I've got a little favor to ask."

"A favor?" What on earth could Jack need from her?

"Well…" His hands squirmed around his shepherds crook nervously, "It's for Rosie really. You know that old dance is coming up right? Well… last night… she came up to me. _She's just got these puppy dog eyes_, it's unfair! And she wears me down. Ahh! Okay, look! I need to learn how to dance, alright!"

Sofia blinked. "What?"

"Rosie wants to learn how to dance. You know, all fancy-like. Like the adults do. And she wants me to teach her. But… I've never learned to dance." He avoided her eyes as if nervous he was going to be laughed at.

Well, this was certainly a first in many different ways. Jack was actually nervous for once, he was admitting ignorance to something he thought he should already know, and he trusted her enough to confess this, and was looking for _her_ help.

Sofia guessed she learned something new every day.

"I'm not asking for a full review of the Versailles grand ball, or anything. I just want to know how to, I don't know, step right. And spin without tripping and… stuff." He defended lamely.

Sofia couldn't help but smile at his way of asking. It would be no trouble to teach him a couple of the common dances so often performed in their setting.

"Alright. I can teach you. We'll start this afternoon in the old post office. They've got a big back room that will serve our needs nicely."

"Oh no, Blondie. I'm sorry, but if we do this, we're gonna do it where no one else is going to see us. Meet me in my field. There's plenty of open space there, too."

Sofia thought about pressing the debate, but thought better of it. Some part of her was secretly pleased that Jack had come up to her and asked for such a personal favor. She didn't want him to know that of course, but she also didn't want to push him away. The pair agreed to meet in an hour and both left on their way as if the conversation hadn't even taken place.

An hour later Sofia made her way up to the top of the Overland field, holding a pair of worn old boots and dawning her very own pair of flats. She reached the peak and saw Jack just finishing hearing the last of his sheep into their fence. Jack picked up the last, littlest one and carried it into the pen. He gave the small, fuzzy creature an affectionate rub before setting him down gently. The small action caused Sofia to smile.

"You never told me you were such an animal lover."

Jack looked up, and smirked slightly, "Do you _see_ him? He's adorable."

Sofia giggled. "Right. So are you ready to start your dancing lessons?"

Her loud tone caused the boy to flinch slightly, "Keep it down would you? If John hears I'm getting lessons from a _girl_, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Watch your tone Jackson." She warned, "Besides, I thought you didn't care what people think."

He shrugged, "Everyone does to some extent. Now come on, are we going to dance or what?" he clasped his hands together and did a small, antsy jiggle with his bare feet.

Sofia just sighed with amusement. "First, you'll need to put these on." she extended her fingers to hand him the pair of boots and was so close to snickering from the disgusted expression on his face.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

"They won't bite, I promise." She smirked.

"Come on, really? You know I don't like shoes. And it's finally warm enough where I don't have to wear them full time."

"A true gentleman wears full attire for proper dancing."

He made a face at her and grabbed the shoes, roughly fitting them to his feet and standing up begrudgingly.

"Wonderful." Sofia said, "Now, step one: take my hand."

He made another face and slowly extended his hand into her own. His grip was warm and gentle. His hands surprisingly steady.

"Now what?"

"Grab my waist like this. No, right here. Good. Now, hold this arm up a little higher. Yup. I put my hand here, and _you_ step forwards with this foot."

The pair stood in classic waltz position. Jack's hand was secured on her waist and Sofia had her hand placed over his shoulder. The pair's other hands gripped outward and their feet stepped in perfect harmony.

For three steps at least.

"Ow! Jack that was my foot! …No, you step forwards, I step backwards."

"But we were just doing it the opposite way before!"

"Yes. Three steps forward, three steps backwards. That's the pattern" She reprimanded.

"Ugh, okay. Let me try again."

Three more steps.

"Ow!"

"Sorry…"

Four more steps.

"Jack, no other direction"

"Right, I knew that."

This went on for another hour. Jack started to almost feel like he got the hang of it, but Sofia then introduced the concept of twirling and the whole thing started back at ground zero with Jack confused on the prospect of letting the girl's hand glide through his fingers. It was a simple enough concepts but he got incredibly worried he was going to 'drop the poor girl' if he let go.

Boys.

"Okay. I think I've had enough waltzing for a while." Jack finally said after he'd almost stepped on Sofia's foot for the umpteenth time.

Frankly, she couldn't agree more. She sat down in the grass and started massaging her toes. Jack sat down next to her, trying too hard not to look guiltily at her feet. They both knew they were making very little progress.

Eventually Jack piped up, "What about the faster ones?"

"Pardon?"

"You know, the faster dances. Where the men and women link elbows and go in circles real fast?" he twirled his finger in a small circle, demonstrating, "Can we learn that one?"

Sofia shrugged, "I guess. I don't see why not," Jack made to stand, "On one condition though." She laughed softly, failing at her try for a serious expression, "You need to take off those blasted shoes!"

The smile Jack gave her nearly took all the pain from her aching feet and filled her with his same easy elation. He bounced up like a spring and grabbed her hands, roughly pulling her up as well. He then turned and, with all the pent up energy he'd probably been holding that day, kicked his heels and sent both shoes flying down the hill, out of sight.

"Then let's get on it." He beamed.

Sofia couldn't help but smile.

"Right. Now this one is relatively easy. Like you said we just link arms at the elbows. Right, yup. And imagine the music in the background. The partners will move with the pace of the music. Now, we just need to turn in circles."

"Won't we get dizzy?" He looked only slightly concerned.

"We just switch directions when that happens."

"Right…"

Sofia ignored his slightly confused tone and just started spinning. Perhaps this was best just to learn from example. She started out slow, letting him get the hang of it. Jack was still looking down constantly at his feet, despite them being thankfully bare now. Then, Sofia could just barely see it, but a small smile started to creep up on his lips. Jack started picking his feet up higher, spinning quicker. He made a faster tempo and Sofia quickly had to adjust to keep up. She found her own feet skipping quicker and lifted her dress with her other hand so as not to trip on the seams.

She realized she'd been unconsciously looking down at her feet and quickly looked back upwards at Jack. He too had come out of his shell and now beamed at her with a look of unaltered joy as he spun her faster. He laughed at the surprised expression on her face and, without warning, let go of her elbow. Still in full momentum, Sofia almost toppled over before Jack quickly linked with her other arm and started skipping in the other direction.

Sofia laughed with him in amazement that his move had actually worked. He looked so proud of himself! The pair continued to spin. Sofia wasn't sure what was happening, but she thought she was actually enjoying herself, dancing with him. She'd never truly perfected this dance but Jack seemed to be a natural at it. She found herself trusting and being guided by him in the spins and skips; a stupid smile was happily pasted on both of their faces.

Eventually Sofia had to let go. She unlinked and stumbled a few steps outward across the field, "Stop! I'm getting dizzy."

He laughed heartily. "I thought you said you couldn't get dizzy." His expression read 'I told you so' rather cockily.

"Jack, I-" She genuinely didn't know what to say to him. She laughed breathlessly and held her arms out, "You seem to break continuity with everything you do. Why stop now?"

He shrugged, "I like this dance better anyways. More fun. _Plus_, it seems to me," he skipped once and clicked his ankles together, "I'm not half bad at it"

_You certainly seem to have a knack for it. _Sofia thought. Not that she was going to actually tell him that. It already looked as if his giant head would tip over under his skinny legs. She didn't want to risk him capsizing. Even now, as he almost paraded the field with head held high, his cocky overconfidence showed.

Sofia just gave a small laugh and looked back up at him. For some reason, when she looked up into his eyes, his expression became… rather odd. His smile slowly waned and was replaced by a look of wonder. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open ever so slightly, like a child understanding something for the first time. He blinked, as if making sure of what he saw. His look rather startled Sofia.

"Um… s-shall we meet tomorrow, then? Practice some more?" She asked, breaking his intense stare.

Jack continued to stare at her, ignoring her question. Sofia was about to break eye contact before his mouth grew into a smirking smile once again. She could practically see the wheels turning in his mind; forming… what was it, a plan? Sofia's heart fluttered.

"Nah, that's alright, Blondie." He said slyly, "I think I know what I need to do now."

Sofia ruffled her brows in confusion. What?

"Thanks for the help, Sof. I owe you one." He smiled confidently and held out his hand.

Even more confused, Sofia slowly extended hers as well. Jack grabbed it and shook her hand enthusiastically. He then turned around and started sauntering down the hill towards his house, leaving the poor girl there at the top. What was that? What-? Who did Jack think he was? Just simply thanking her and walking off like that! Sofia didn't think so. Oh! Oh, that boy made her blood boil.

_But then_, the back half of her brain said, _why did your heart beat so quickly when he was spinning you? _

That was certainly an excellent question… one that Sofia felt increasingly uncomfortable pondering. Jackson Overland was nothing more than a damned trickster who spent his days humiliating those around him. He was childish, self-absorbed, and over-confident.

But still… he had such energy about him. Such life. And a heart that held the entire town. He loved his sister and his family and, Sofia thought, would put them in front of himself without a moment's thought. And that cheeky little grin of his, especially when it grew into a full smile… well, sometimes it took Sofia's breath away.

These thoughts plagued her mind long after she'd left the field and made towards her house. Sofia dared think… was it possible she just might be falling for that Overland boy?

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**Sorry this is so late! My lame excuse is my AP Bio final. I'll hopefully have the next chapt up early next week! **

**To the guest who reviewed, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your words brought a smile to my face. And to answer your question, I'm still figuring how I want to go about that, but if things go right, I'll have it in multiple points of view. (most defiantly with Rosie and Sofia) Thanks for your input! **

**I'll always take requests. And thank you so much for reading!**


	10. The Angels are Drumming

**G'day!**

**I assume Jack would be around 15 here. Rosie is 5. Also, this is in her point of view (mixin' it upp)**

* * *

Rosie hated storms. A lot. She hated the loud, relentless pounding of rain against her roof. She hated the crackling booms from nowhere that made her jump. She hated how angry the world seemed when it stormed… She didn't understand what the sky could be so upset about that it had to cry all over the grass. And she definitely didn't understand what the sky could be so angry about that it had to yell so loudly…

Lightning flashed outside the Overland cabin, alluding the dead of night to midday again. Rosie jumped at the flash and braced herself under her blanket. Even with the blanket pulled over her little head, and fingers stuck firmly in her ears, she still heard the almost deafening rumble of the thunder. She whimpered and curled up tighter, trying to shut out the scary yelling.

_Why was the sky so angry…? _it wasn't like she had done anything to it, right? Rosie braved to poke her head out again. She looked around the now dark bedroom and glanced over to her brother, sleeping right next to her. She felt a twang of guilt at stealing the blanket from Jack, but judging from his sprawled out limbs and loud snoring, he didn't seem particularly bothered by it.

Rosie was tempted to wake him up; Jack would know what to do. Jack could cheer up the sky. He'd tell some jokes or do a funny dance so the sky would stop crying.

Quite suddenly, another bright flash followed by a deafening cackle shook the cabin walls. Rosie could not contain her yelp as she flung the blanket over her head once more and retreated into the chest of her older brother. She clung to his chest with unanticipated force, causing a very startled Jack to wake suddenly and nearly topple off the bed.

"_King Louis_!" Jack called in surprise, as he sprung upright. Rosie might have laughed at his expression had she not been so scared of the storm.

Jack regained his bearings and looked down to the clinging form of his little sister. She shook violently. He smiled down at her fondly, if rather goofily, "Hey there, little lady. What's got you all jumpy?"

"The sky is really angry Jack…" Rosie whimpered, speaking through the cotton of his shirt, "He's making scary noises."

Comprehension dawned on his face as the sky once again rumbled loud. Rosie gripped tighter.

"You're scared of the little storm?" He pressed gently.

Rosie nodded, "Why is the sky so mad? We didn't do anything to him…"

That's when Jack started to chuckle. His shaking laughter caused Rosie to peek out from his shirt and look curiously back up to his smiling face. He gripped her into a tight little hug, "I see where this is going…You got this all wrong, Rosie. The sky isn't mad."

The little girl sniffled, "He's not?"

Jack shook his head confidently, "Nope." The sky flashed bright, "Those lights," Jack said pointing towards the window, "That's the sky's angels having a party. You remember how we always light those pretty candles at our parties? That's what the sky is doing right now."

"Really?" Rosie asked, relaxing ever so slightly.

Jack nodded, "And the big booms," Right on cue, the world rumbled. Rosie tensed again but Jack distracted her with a playful bop on her nose. She giggled, "those are drums. Kind of like the ones we have here in town. That's the angels playing some music. After all, what's a party without music?"

Jack started to drum on his folded legs, bobbing his head with his improvised beat. Rosie was thrown into a feat of giggles, "Is that really true, Jack?"

"You betcha. And that pitter patter of the rain, do you know what that is?"

"No, what?"

"That's the spirit dust that the angels are giving us. It's like their magical gift to us. They can't do it all the time, because it's special. It's hard to make. So when they finally get enough to sprinkle everywhere, they have a giant party to celebrate."

Rosie's mouth made a 'wow' motion as she listened to her brother's tale. Images of beautiful angels in elegant, white sparkling robes danced through her head. She pictured the men playing on their big drums and the ladies sprinkling their dust all over the land.

"That dust is what gives us the lakes." Jack continued, "Without that dust, we'd never be able to go swimming, or go ice skating. That's why it's so special."

"That's amazing!" Rosie relaxed completely now, her fantasy still playing in her mind. She lay her head down on her brother's shoulder, not flinching one bit as another flash graced the sky. It was just party lights after all, now.

Her eyes grew heavy and her muscles started to relax. She shifted herself more comfortably in Jack's shoulder and he pulled the blanket back on top of both of them. The siblings just lay peacefully while Jack hummed her favorite lullaby softly, and made comforting circles on Rosie's back.

Rosie could feel herself slipping away for the night, but she still found the energy to turn and whisper, "Thanks, Jack. I love you."

She couldn't see his face, but she felt his lips place a soft, loving kiss on the top of her head, "I love you too, Rose. Sleep tight."

She sighed contently and let herself drift away. Rosie didn't much like storms. Sometimes the booming startled her still. And sometimes she got angry when the rain made her come inside early. But that's why she had the best brother in the entire world, to make everything scary or sad into something wonderful.

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**Thanks a ton to the lovely Cool and Creative for the request! The next one is on the way. I think I'll do a couple more in Rosie's point of view (I love Jack's brotherly side too much!) What do you guys think? **

**As always, I take all the requests! Thank you so much for clicking and reading!**

**Edit* Special thanks to Lady Archive who caught my little "Queen Vctoria" mistake. If ever there's a big historical inaccuracy that I make, PLEASE don't hesitate to enlighten me. It's greatly appreciated. **


	11. Pearly Whites

**G'day everyone! **

**Jack is probably 16 here. Rosie is 5. Another one in her perspective. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Rosie, you know she's not going to come if you're awake, right?"

Rosie Overland, sitting up in bed in the middle of the night, turned her head to see the sleepy, if not rather amused, face of her brother. She smiled back at him and started to bounce on the thin mattress in her excitement.

"I know, I know. But it's the tooth fairy! I wanna see her when she comes."

A fearful thought seemed to cross over Rosie's face suddenly. She got real serious and quickly lifted her pillow, and her face relaxed considerably when she saw her tiny, pearly tooth still resting behind it. All was well; she hadn't missed her yet.

Jack laughed as he sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He pressed gentle hands on his sister's shoulders, coursing her head back to her pillow.

"Jack, tell me about the tooth fairy!" She asked while Jack repositioned the covers and tucked in her little limbs.

"Again?" He teased, "I thought mom told you earlier."

"Yeah but you tell it better. Momma always forgets about the palace. And the tooth fairy's name. And when she was little and stuff. Please, Jack?" Her puppy-dog eyes grew to the size of saucers.

Jack finished securing her arms and leaned in close to give her a butterfly kiss. They both giggled. "Well, first thing you gotta know is the Tooth Fairy's old. She's one of the oldest people in history. Older than Santa!"

If Rosie's arms were free she would have started clapping. This was how Jack always started out…

"She's so old that she was the world's first princess. She lived in a magical palace with her mother and father. Her name was Toothina."

Rosie smiled and dug herself deeper into her covers. She loved the tooth fairy's name. It was so pretty.

"There were two things in the world that Toothina loved more than anything, besides her parents of course: children and teeth. She loved them both so much and the kingdom started a tradition: whenever a child lost their tooth, they would bring it to Toothina and she would give them money in exchange. The man in the moon saw the joy and happiness she was bringing to the children, so, one day, he gave her a gift. He gave her beautiful wings so she could fly. That way she could get to all the teeth in the world. And he made it so she never got older so she could bring joy to children for the rest of time."

Jack paused in his story. He looked at Rosie's face to see if she'd fallen asleep yet. Her closed eyes fluttered open at his silence.

"Finish the story, Jack." Rosie said sleepily.

He smiled, "Okay, okay. Over the years she's made up a routine. She's got to work during the night, you see, because it gets too hot for her to fly during the day. And she tells children to put the teeth under pillows so she always knows where to look."

Rosie made a very soft, "Mhmm" at Jack's pause.

"Then in the morning," He continued, "you'll wake up and check under your pillow. And she'll have a present there just for you."

Jack paused a final time and checked to see Rosie's eyes firmly closed and her breathing deep. He smiled both in relief and amusement and settled himself into the covers as well. The siblings both drifted off, dreaming dreams of little fairies with sacks of teeth and stacks of coins.

Rosie didn't remember drifting off during Jack's story, but the next time she woke it was still dark outside. She sat up, trying to find what had woken her. It couldn't have been Jack's loud snoring, could it? Usually she slept through that… Her ears caught the faintest buzzing sound, like a bumblebee in summer. She looked around the tiny room and when she finally found the source of the buzzing, her quiet gasp flooded the room.

Fluttering just centimeters above Jack's mouth, seemingly admiring his flashing pearly whites, was the tiniest little person Rosie had ever seen, so tiny she could probably fit in Rosie's hand. Only, she wasn't really a person… She had a tiny set of transparent wings that sparkled green and purple and blue when they beat. And her body was covered in shiny green and blue feathers, almost like a hummingbird.

"The tooth fairy" Rosie whispered in awe, her eyes as wide as saucers.

The little fairy jumped at her voice, noticing the wakened child for the first time. But she only gaped for a moment before breaking her face into a cheerful, beautiful grin. It wasn't often that Baby Tooth saw children awake. Many said they would stay up all night to catch a glimpse of the great legend at her work, but so few managed.

Baby Tooth took the opportunity in full, flying around in front of Rosie and making intricate circles and loops in the air. Rosie clapped as quietly as her excitement would allow, "Pretty!"

Baby Tooth gave a little bow before stealing once last, noticeable glance at Jack's exposed mouth. Rosie caught the action, "Jack! I'll wake him up too. He'll be so excited."

Baby Tooth's little feathered face turned from green to pink as Rosie made to shake her brother's shoulder. She quickly held up her tiny hands and waved the back and forth in protest. Her blushing head shook violently.

"No?" Rosie asked. Baby Tooth nodded. "Why not?"

The little fairy's blushing continued; she clasped her hands behind her back and looked rather embarrassed, but wore an infatuated smile.

Rosie didn't get it.

She shrugged her shoulders and moved her hand away. Baby Tooth visibly relaxed. Suddenly Rosie remembered the reason for the tooth fairy's appearance. "Oh!" She quickly picked up her thin feather pillow and grabbed the little tooth under it, showing it proudly to the fairy. "Here's my tooth!"

Baby Tooth got very excited and did a small loop before accepting the tooth graciously. With the tooth under one arm, she used her other to fish out a shiny looking coin. She placed the shilling in Rosie's awaiting hands and the girl looked at it with awe.

"Really? A whole shilling?"

Baby Tooth nodded.

"Thank you tooth fairy!" Rosie beamed, "Oh, thank you so much. With this, I can buy my dolly!"

Baby Tooth didn't even have to know that Rosie had had her eye on the newest creation from the seamstress down the street. Baby Tooth didn't even have to see the old canning jar Rosie had been using to save her money for over a month. All she had to see was the smile on her face right now to know the significance of her gesture. This was why she did what she did, for moments like this.

Baby Tooth came back to reality realizing she'd spent way too much time already at the Overland household. There was a little boy three town's over in Massachusetts Bay Colony who'd lost his second lateral incisor that morning. She had to get going! She smiled again at Rosie, cast one final fond look at Jack, and buzzed out the window.

Rosie waved goodbye and eyed her shilling happily. Sleep wasn't even on her mind with her frazzling thoughts of what had just happened. But, before she knew it, she was being shaken awake to an excited pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"Did she come?" Her brother asked.

"She came, Jack! She was here!" She told him how she woke up to the buzzing of her wings. She told him how she'd described her all wrong and how she was smaller than she expected and how she, in fact, had feathers. She showed him her shilling proudly.

He hugged her tight, feeding off her energy and saying how happy and proud he was of her. Rosie drank in the feel of his cotton shirt, practically absorbing the love he gave her. Rosie loved her brother.

The siblings got ready for the day, Jack had promised to take her to the market to pick up her doll. But just as Jack was turning their door open, Rosie remembered something.

"The tooth fairy saw you too Jack!"

"Oh yeah?" He laughed.

"Yeah! Your mouth was open and she was looking at your teeth. I was about to wake you up, but the tooth fairy got really nervous when I said that. So I didn't. I think she likes you."

Jack's face couldn't have looked more confused. What was Rosie talking about…?

"I think it's because your teeth are so shiny," Rosie babbled on, "you do have really pretty teeth."

Jack just decided to play along, "Well, what can I say; your brother here has a gift. I guess I'll have to teach you my ways." He nudged Rosie's side playfully.

The pair giggled and continued on their way to the town. With one hand, Rosie jingled her heavy coin jar happily. With the other, she held her brother's, certain that things for them would never change.

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**I feel like I always end these with horrible foreshadowing. Oh, how I don't envy these character's futures. **

**This was another request from the lovely 'Cool and Creative' I know you asked for Tooth specifically, but it was fun to write a little bit of Baby Tooth, who, by the way, wins the award for longest, most devoted fangirl. Here's to Baby Tooth everyone! – Four for you Baby Tooth. You go Baby Tooth!- Hopefully this turned out okay. **

**I'll always take requests. But thank you so much for clicking and reading!**


	12. Dance in Burgess

**G'day all! **

**Going back to that dancing lessons one shot. I felt like continuing it :) Here's the actual dance. (This is a shameless opportunity to show off one of my favorite headcannons) Enjoy!**

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The night of the festival, the town of Burgess dressed up. Ladies of all ages and income dawned their Sunday best, with a small flavor of Saturday night. Men left their pocket watches at home and slipped into their dusted off dancing shoes. Even the children washed up nice and fine and ran through the streets with a merriment and excitement equal to a Christmas morning.

The night of the festival, Sofia fell somewhere in the middle, dressed like a fine, notable woman but still holding in the bubbling excitement of a young school girl. She was more than ready to shed off the memories from this winter -especially Jack's recent fiasco with the soldiers- and warmly embrace the coming summer.

Sofia wormed her way through the crowd gathered in the town square as she admired the handiwork of the decorations. The entire square had been decorated, from the tops of the buildings to the lanterns on the corners. Glowing lanterns dyed in green and blue lit up the way and festive Easter wreathes hung from lampposts. The whole town lit up. And it's people even more so. Sofia fed off the energy of the crowd and happily made her way into the center of the gathered circle to see what the recent cheering was about.

There, dancing around a circled crowd in the middle of the square, was Jackson and Rosie Overland. It seemed half the town was gathered around them, forming a clapping circle of cheering and attention. The pair spun on their makeshift dance floor, dancing. Sofia, watching them through a crack in the circle, was instantly sucked in by their enthusiastic, quick way of moving. She also noticed it to be the dance she had showed Jack those few days ago.

Jack, being a good couple feet taller than his sister, held Rosie's raised hands as he spun her to the beat of the music the same way Sofia had showed him. Rosie was quite fantastic at the dance. Jack led her along with perfect grace and she met his movements with equal par. A spin, then a twist. A skip, then direction change. Rosie impressed all who watched. Jack, Sofia assumed, surprised his spectators more than anything; his talent was not unnoticed.

The little band of the town, a fiddler, guitarist, and flutist respectfully, couldn't have looked happier matching their fast tempo with the rhythm of Jack's dancing feet. The clapping of the crowd, the upbeat music, and the expression of pure joy and happiness on Jack's face swelled Sofia's heart. She found herself clapping and swaying along.

The music finally quelled as the song ended. Jack made an exaggerated bow to his sister and Rosie curtsied with equal vigor before both siblings succumbed to their suppressed giggles.

The crowd cheered and Jack gathered Rosie from under her arms and lifted her upon his shoulder, "Rosie Overland everyone!" Jack called out, as if announcing the next queen.

Jack cheered along with the crowd and whooped as Rosie waved her little hands to her admirers.

Sofia laughed heartily at their antics, but turned as a voice cut through the cheers, "Hey! Jack, my boy!" The fiddler, a man named Joseph, caught Jack's attention and held out his warn, but well-loved fiddle, "Ya up for playin' us a song here, lad? I'm sure the ladies could use a little swingin'"

More whooping came from the men of the crowd as Jack nodded happily and carefully set Rosie down. "You know I'm always here to help out the cause." Jack quipped, spreading his hands wide. "After all, it would be a crime to deny these lovely ladies the pleasure of my musical talent."

The men within earshot gave collective, merry 'ooh's' as Joseph dipped his head to hide his smile, "Ahh get up here and take it ya cocky little bugger."

Jack leaped up onto the music platform, an old stand that elevated the musicians at the front of the dance floor, and gave another exaggerated bow before accepting Joseph's fiddle. He took his place at center stage and positioned his hands, smiling his charming smile at the new group of spectators. A group of young ladies, around Sofia's age, spoke loudly amongst each other. Each one expressed their attraction to the oldest Overland and each spoke of their bold plans to receive his affections.

Sofia immediately felt rather jealous disapproval at the girls' juvenile gossip. Deep down she knew their words were merely idle girl-talk, but she couldn't help the slight possessive pull she had towards Jack. These girls had no business speaking of him in that way. Never mind how handsome he looked up on that stage, how endearing…

Jack started to play the fiddle and the entire town hushed. He moved his fingers with the fluidity of a master and created an improvised, quick rhythm that took Sofia's breath away. Now, it was common knowledge that Jackson Overland was the best fiddler in Burgess, but even this piece surpassed his previous works. His wrist bent and slid along the fiddle's neck and hit note after note of string that quickly overcame the crowd's awe and turned it into dance. The people of Burgess eagerly gathered their partners and started skipping to Jack's music.

All too soon, Jack's song ended. He let his vice-like grip on the bow loosen and fall away. He gave a little spin in place with the momentum of his energy as the people erupted in praise. Jack smiled almost humbly and gave a proper, short bow before gesturing over to the other musicians on the platform.

As Jack tried to leave, handing out the fiddle to return to Joseph, protests of "one more!" and "encore" were made. Jack, unable to walk away from a good time, ended up on the stage for a great portion of the evening. Each song captivated the audience and created merriment and cheer for the people. When he was finally relieved of his fiddling duties, the sun had fully set and the men and women were getting loose from the ecstasy of the evening's music and wine.

Jack hopped down from the musician's stand and returned to the dance floor as the Joseph and the others melted into a slower, almost romantic rhythm. Almost immediately, Sofia's eyes went to the group of girls standing at the floors other end. The lot of them stood, all eyes on Jack, practically begging for his attention. There really was no reason for Jack not to go over to them, either. Every female there could be considered beautiful in her own way and every one of them would have taken Jack in a heartbeat, had he asked.

But no. Either Jack didn't see the girls or he ignored their stares, because Jack only seemed to be looking in Sofia's direction. As Sofia saw him making his way towards her, the air became tight and her stomach started doing small flip flops in her chest. He looked so handsome. Sofia had really only seen him in two outfits, his church clothes, and his work garments. But tonight, he'd somehow managed to transform his nicest brown overcoat and black, tattered pants into the most breathtaking dress she had ever seen on a man. At least, that's what she vaguely remembered he was wearing. His face was annoyingly distracting in the grand scheme of things.

When he reached the spot where she was standing, he bowed ever so slightly and held out his hand.

"May I have this dance, ma'am?"

He was completely serious in his request, which is what probably threw Sofia off so much. The small, characteristic smirk on his features caused Sofia to giggle before she could squelch the urge. She could do nothing more than accept his hand and play along.

"Why of course you may, Mr. Overland."

He flashed her the biggest smile and weaved his fingers into hers, while placing his other hand securely on her waist. Sofia responded by placing her hand on his shoulder, just like she had taught him. Though she didn't remember his being so good at it before…

The soft slide of the fiddle and guitar and the harmonious melody from the flutes created such an atmosphere that blocked everything else out or Sofia's world, leaving only the music and Jack. She couldn't name it, but he looked different in the colored lights of the evening. The lanterns shown on his face just right and took the sharp edges out of his features.

"I see you've improved since our last lesson," She said, more to distract herself than anything.

"I've been practicing," he toyed back, "I've got people I need to impress tonight,"

_Someone specific?_ "Jack, you could _breathe_ and still have the girls swooning all over you."

"Well I gotta keep up my standards after all."

Sofia laughed as Jack moved into a spin. She spun gracefully in a circle and he held her tight when she fell back into him.

"Alright, I'll bite." Sofia said, "How on earth did you learn this dance? We both knew you were god awful at it,"

"Ouch, that hurts, Blondie." He pulled his chest in as if he'd been punched, "and how do you know I didn't just teach myself?"

"You're kidding right?"

"Ooh, another blow." This time he actually took his hand off Sofia's waist and massaged his chest from the verbal strike.

Sofia tried – and failed – to keep her laughter in again. _Stop_. She told herself. _Don't let him know. Don't let him know_…

"If you must know," Jack continued, "My mother taught me"

Sofia nodded. Jack moved his hand from hers and gripped her waist tightly. Sofia was expecting it, but her stomach still nearly came out of her mouth as Jack lifted her from the ground and spun her in the air. He executed the move perfectly. Sofia would have expressed her approval if she'd had breath to spare.

She gathered her wits before daring to ask, "Why didn't you just ask your mother from the beginning?"

"That's a good question" he said fairly and left it at that.

Sofia let that response simmer. What on earth did that mean? And why was he smiling like that? Like an embarrassed, hyperactive puppy.

Sofia must have missed the song transition because, quite suddenly, Jack was tapped on the shoulder and the rest of the world came forcibly back into focus.

"Ahem"

Jack turned to see another village girl, Sofia remembered her as Anna, standing behind him with hands behind her back, looking rather expectant.

"Pardon me," Anna continued, her voice laced with sickly sweet sugar "I hate to break up this… dance you two have going on. But would it be too bold to remind Jack he has other guests that need attending?"

Sofia realized at that moment just how the two of them looked. As was proper etiquette, a man and woman not in a committed relationship were allowed _one_ dance. Then, they had to find new partners, satisfy the floor and leave no one out. Sofia and Jack had gone over that rule. In fact, they were still intertwined in each others arms.

Jack whipped his face back to Sofia's. It happened so fast she almost thought she'd imagined it. But, for the briefest second, it looked like Jack winked at her. Sofia's expression turned puzzled, but before anything else could happen Jack put on his winning smile. Sofia felt his hands slip away from her.

"Terribly sorry ma'am. What an awful guest I am." Jack spun on the heel of his feet and tipped an imaginary hat at Anna, "Please, allow me."

He held out his elbow and Anna took it rather smugly. The pair slid away and started swaying to the quick beat of the music. Anna looked completely content in Jack's hands and, to his credit, Jack looked like he was having a good time too. His smile was genuine and he led Anna honestly with his newfound dancing skills. Jackson Overland: ever the lady-killer.

Sofia tried and utterly failed to squelch that gut-wrenching jealousy bubbling inside her. Part of her wanted nothing more than to stomp her way across that floor, rip that silly little girl from Jack's arms, and take him for her own. Part of her, the part that won, stayed put. _Don't tell him_. _Not yet_. _Don't tell him_.

She knew nothing was going to be figured tonight. This was just the first few steps. The time right now wasn't right, she decided with herself. There would be plenty of time for them to explore. Plenty of times to figure their feelings for each other. Right now, Sofia was content sitting on the sidelines as she caught that knowing little wink, just for her, across the floor from Jackson Overland.

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**My headcannon is Jack's an amazing musician. I don't know why, but there's something especially endearing about a guy who can play the fiddle ;)**

**Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Give a hug to someone you love. (hugs for all of you!)**


	13. Bare Toes but Great Views

**G'day! **

**Jack is 9 in this one. (Rosie's not born yet) Enjoy!**

* * *

There are certain things in life that are so constant, so long ago burned into memory, that people forget there is something strange about it. Yet, at the same time, the mind of a child is an interesting feat and is often less blind to the strange and out-of-place than your average adult.

Take Jack's feet for example.

They were always bare. No one ever questioned it out loud, not even Jack's parents. But something about that fact had Sofia's head scratching. She had been pondering this anomaly for much longer then she would care to admit. Everyone else in the village had some sort of protection on their built-in mode of transportation. Whether it be a sturdy pair of leather boots for the winter, sandal straps for the summer, or dress shoes for Sunday morning, their feet stayed protected and enclosed.

So why weren't Jack's?

Sofia decided to solve this puzzle once and for all. She trekked through the town, passing through the streets until she met the forest on the other side. Jack was always hanging out in the forest. Sofia wasn't exactly sure what he found so endearing about a bunch of trees, but she had seen the lake he liked to hang around and had to admit that the view was quite lovely when the sun hit the water just right.

Sofia followed the familiar path, worn down by the adventurous youth of Burgess, until she found the little clearing. The pond was almost perfectly rounded with a glasslike shimmer on its liquid surface. It was surrounded by towering pines and maples, creating refreshing shade while still leaving big enough pockets for sunshine to glitter through.

Sofia walked along the edges of the clearing, staying out of the sun line. She didn't want Jack _knowing_ she thought about him, after all. She needed to stay hidden. Her eyes spotted the weathered, crooked shepherd's staff Jack carried with him lying on the soft forest floor.

Staff: check. Jack: nadda.

Sofia suddenly heard rustling above her. She looked up into the trees and saw the branches of a sturdy pine shaking, its needles falling softly. She squinted as a quick figure seemingly hopped from branch to branch, climbing higher and higher. She focused on the brown pants and white shirt and realized this flying squirrel was actually Jack!

Sofia's mouth hung open in absolute shock as the nine year old bounced from skinny branch to skinny branch with the ease of walking on land. He climbed higher and higher until Sofia saw his little brown head pop out from the top of the tree line. What on earth was he doing? That branch looked like it could barley hold a bird. And Jack perched on the bark like he did it daily. Which, Sofia thought, he probably did.

Jack sat there, looking almost fondly off into the distant, for longer than Sofia expected him to. That was the longest she'd ever seen Jack sit still, and she wondered what exactly he was looking at, or what he was pondering so deeply…

Eventually, he held his arms down, gripping the branch he sat on, and swung himself down a limb. He repeated the process, slowly making his way down the tree's trunk back onto solid ground. But just as he approached the final set of branches, his form changed from that of a descending spider, to what resembled a monkey. Jack looped an arm around the shorter branch and flipped himself upside-down, so his legs gripped the tree and his hands fell loosely. He dangled there, letting his fingers just brush against the grass.

What on earth was that boy doing?

His face held look of joyful content. He laughed softly to himself and started swinging back and forth, gaining momentum. In mid swing, he brought his hands up quickly to the branch, unhooked his knees and summersaulted, almost disjointing his shoulders, to the ground. He landed with arms straight out and knees slightly bent. He twisted his head, as if making sure his form was correct, before nodding his head in approval.

Looking rather smug, but altogether happy, he sauntered over pick up his staff, and started making his way to the trail. Sofia, caught up in his actions, almost forgot that he didn't know she was there. She quickly scrambled as quietly as she could further away from the path and hid behind some thick bushes. He walked past her unseeing, humming softly to himself.

Sofia huffed and crossed her arms. What was so special about trees anyways? All you could do was climb them. Her charged emotions and her angry stares at the pines caused her to stand and walk over to them. She held her hands at her hips, judging the tree.

That was it? That was the big secret? Jackson Overland didn't like to wear shoes because climbing trees barefoot was easier? What a letdown.

Sofia grabbed the lowest branch.

Jack thought he was so special. _Oh, look at me. I'm Jack Overland. I can climb trees. _How foolish! What on earth was so fabulous about putting yourself in unnecessary danger, deliberately going so much higher than humans should be placed at?

Sofia hoisted herself up, letting her butt rest on the bark.

_I mean, really?_ She thought, _what on earth is up here that made him look like that? _He looked so content… so peaceful.

Her ranting thoughts continued as her hands almost mechanically reached up and out, raising her body higher and higher in the mesh of tree. Had she been in a sounder state, she probably would have noticed just how far away the ground was at the moment and reversed her course immediately. However, she soon found herself standing at the very same spot Jack had been moments before.

Then she looked out and gasped. Jack had not been looking at the town, he had been looking the other way. Sofia could hardly take everything in. All around her were the most amazing sights. Panoramic mountains with snow glistening on their tips, vast valleys with tall grasses swaying softly in the wind, and flowing rivers twinkling in the afternoon sun colored the land and opened Sofia's eyes to just how beautiful the world could be. It held so much potential, so much promise. With a world like this, man could accomplish anything. The view filled Sofia with bubbling excitement. She could do anything!

Sofia sighed in astonishment. How beautiful this new land was! It was no wonder Jack loved this place. Everything was so peaceful, so serene and natural. It drew in thoughts and inspiration and opened new possibilities.

The tree probably had nothing to do with Jack's desire to be bare-footed, but Sofia didn't particularly care. She began to understand that perhaps Jack was deeper than the feeble pranks he pulled. Maybe there was something more to him that he didn't wear on the front of his shirt. One thing she knew for sure, she wouldn't trade this view for anything.

_Now_, she thought, looking to the ground for the first time, _there's just the matter of getting down_…

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**Thoughts?**

**This really was a pain to write. I had this great idea. I really wanted to explain why Jack runs around flashing his little toes, and this is the best I came up with :P Sorry for the lack of dialogue! I really hope this isn't horribly boring. Oh well, please tell me your thoughts (and prompts)!**

**Also, just a heads up, my current English class is kicking my butt in the homework department -I'm not kidding, I basically have an essay a night- so if the updates start to slow... that's my lame excuse. I'm sorry! I'll still try to write as much as I can. Thank you for being patient with me.**

**And thank you for clicking and reading! :)**


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